The Book of Daryl
by EnglishPoet18
Summary: This is a sequel of sorts to "The Book of Merle". It will have lots of references to that story so I would really suggest reading it before starting this one if you haven't already done so. I won't say much here because I don't really want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. Thank you! Rated M for Dixon mouth and possibly more later...
1. Chapter 1

****Author's Note: If you haven't already, I really suggest reading "The Book of Merle" before starting this one. There are lots of references to it and this picks up where the other left off. To those of you who are following me over already from Merle's story, I give you my absolute gratitude. You have been awesome reviewers and it has been my pleasure to write for you all! As always, if you like it, please review it. Nothing kills a story quicker than a silent audience. Thank you! :)**

Beth Greene sat in her cell and stared at the wall. It had been two months since Merle's death and things hadn't been the same.

Of course, everyone had been distraught over Merle's death, even those who hadn't been his biggest fans had felt sorry about his loss. She vaguely remembered her daddy and Maggie picking her up off of Merle's body and trying to take her up to the prison. She had resisted some but they had finally managed to cart her inside the prison where she was sedated so that she could rest. She remembered waking up every night for the first few weeks and crying out for Merle. Maggie would come running and gently shake her awake and soothe her while she cried. She still had dreams, but they didn't come as frequent and weren't as vivid.

There had been a few fatalities at the prison from the war. A lot of the Woodbury residents were gone. There were a very small handful of men and women left, their number cut down by almost half. Sasha had been one of the ones from Woodbury to get hit and she hadn't survived. Her brother Tyreese had done his own share of grieving. There had been injuries suffered but they were lucky that no one had anything major and in time, everyone had begun to heal physically. It was emotionally they were struggling with.

It seemed like that's all anyone did anymore was grieve. No one mentioned Merle's name or at least they never did around her. She felt like she was constantly monitored. She knew they were waiting to see if she would do another suicide attempt like back at the farm. She wouldn't do it even though some days she felt like it. No, she had other reasons to hang on now.

She glanced down at her slight belly and instinctively placed her hand there. She hadn't begun to show but she hadn't had her period since the war so she knew she was pregnant. She had always been regular with her cycle. She hadn't told anyone yet and she was nervous about how they all might react. Her daddy hadn't really said anything to her about her relationship with Merle or anything that had happened but she knew it would get brought up eventually. Right now she was still considered fragile.

She rolled over in the bed and fought the wave of nausea that threatened to burst free. So far, she had hid her symptoms well. If anyone suspected anything, they chaulked it up to her grieving for Merle.

...

Daryl sat on the edge of his bed and cleaned his bow. He had cleaned it a thousand times already but he used his rag to repeat the process over and over. Anything to keep him from being around the other's concerned faces and their questions about how he was holding up. He couldn't stand much more of the attention. If anyone said anything else to him about his brother, he was going to snap.

He was glad Carl had shot that guy from Woodbury because when Daryl had come to his senses he would have. He was so mad at Merle for leaving him and so sad for him at the same time. He set his bow to the side and chewed on his thumb. He was sick of being inside but he didn't really have the motivation to go out either. He knew most of the group was outside today. There were still some last minute touches to fix on the fence where the car had rammed through and the mess the explosions had caused. He supposed he could be out there helping them but he didn't want to.

He glanced up as Hershel walked by his cell again. The man had been up and down the hallway, peeking into Beth's room which was a couple doors down from Daryl's. Daryl walked to the doorway and Hershel paused, looking at him.

"Hello Daryl." Hershel said in greeting.

Daryl tipped his head at him in response. "Ya know, I can keep an eye on her if ya want," He gestured towards Beth's cell. "You should go out with the others. It's a nice day out."

Hershel paused. "Are you sure?" He looked worriedly to her cell.

Daryl crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the bars. "I'll let ya know if somethin' happens. Go on."

Hershel hesitated and then turned to leave the cellblock. Daryl stood there a moment longer and then decided he might as well take a peek to see what she was doing in there. She seemed to be almost having a harder time than he was himself.

He peeked around the doorway and stopped short. She had her hair down but she was leaning over the side of the bed over a trashcan. He quickly became alarmed and walked to her doorway.

"Hey." He called.

...

Beth jerked up so quickly at the sound of Daryl's voice that the nausea came back full force. She barely made it back over the side of the bed before she was puking up the little bit of food she had managed to choke down earlier. She felt Daryl kneel beside the bed and lift her hair from her face. He didn't say anything, he just waited until she was done.

She slowly sat up and he grabbed a towel off of her table for her to wipe her mouth. She accepted it gratefully.

"Thank you." She replied.

He nodded. "What's wrong with ya? You got the flu or somethin'?" Daryl asked.

Beth's face grew red and she looked down at the blanket she had pulled over her. "No. Nothing like that."

Daryl crossed his arms. "Well what is it then?" He demanded.

"Where is everyone?" Beth asked.

"They outside finishin' cleanup. Why? You need Hershel?"

Beth quickly shook her head no. She wasn't ready for them to know yet. She knew she would have to tell them at some point obviously but it wasn't going to be today. She did need to tell _somebody_ though and Daryl did happen to be standing there at that moment.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted.

Daryl's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "How?"

Beth blushed. "I'm pretty sure you know how it works." She mumbled.

"Nah, I ain't meant the specifics. I mean, how could ya let this happen?" He sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at her.

Beth felt really alone and she was scared that Daryl might go tell now that he looked almost mad.

"Please don't yell," She whispered. "I didn't plan on this happening. Merle and I...we got caught up in the moment."

Daryl ran his hands through his hair. He didn't care to hear about Merle and Beth having sex. He didn't need to have that image stuck in his head. He couldn't breathe. _Merle's kid? Merle was going to be a father? That would mean he would be an uncle._

Beth's hand on his arm brought him back to the present. "Please don't be mad. This baby... it's everything to me. It's all I have left... of him."

Daryl let out his breath. "I ain't mad. I'm just stunned. How come you ain't said nothin' 'fore now?"

"I'm scared of their reaction. I don't really know what to expect." Beth said nervously.

"So you jus' been in here this whole time keepin' this big secret?" Daryl said incredulously.

Beth swallowed through a lump in her throat and nodded. She placed her hand back to her belly without even realizing it had drifted there. Daryl's eyes zeroed in on her stomach. He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked with wide eyes, "You're not going to tell are you?"

Daryl paused at the doorway. "Don't worry. Yer secret's safe...for now." He said softly and walked out of the room.

...

Daryl stopped in his room and picked up his bow. He walked outside and bypassed all the others who stopped to stare. Daryl hadn't been outside much and he felt like some kind of zoo animal every time he did venture out now. He ignored them all and strode over to the graves that they had dug for Merle and Sasha. He saw that someone had cut out a makeshift cross and placed it at the heads of the graves. He stopped at Merle's grave and began to pace.

"She's fuckin' pregnant. How could you?" Daryl hissed at the grave. He slung his bow onto his back and continued to pace.

"You knew the damn consequences. We in the middle of a damn apocalypse and you ain't got the sense God gave ya to use a condom? What the hell!" Daryl said loudly.

He noticed that a few members of the group had stopped to stare in his direction and he stopped pacing, hoping they would focus their attention elsewhere. They continued on with their work and Daryl walked up to the cross and tapped it with his boot.

"It's jus' like you ta leave when the goin' gets tough," He said. "Leavin' me ta clean up yer messes like usual. What am I supposed ta do now? You wasn't supposed to leave!" Daryl yelled and felt the emotion welling up in his throat.

He kicked dirt onto the grave with his boot and stalked away.


	2. Chapter 2

****AN: I'm still getting a feel for this story so please bear with me. I did want to mention that the mega amount of reviews** **that I received for the end of Merle's story were awesome and much appreciated! My phone went off every five minutes for an hour, it was awesome! :) I'm working on another chapter, I may or may not get it out tonight. So here it is, you know what to do! LOL Thanks!**

When Beth woke the next morning, she was feeling a little better so she decided she might try to venture out and get some air. She had been holed up in her cell long enough. She figured she would join the others for breakfast and then maybe walk around outside.

She hadn't been able to get her jeans to button that morning so she had just zipped them and left them unbuttoned. She had worn a shirt that was a little bigger on her to cover her slight bump. She wasn't sure if anyone could notice but she didn't want it to be obvious.

She knew that she needed to tell the group. She had debated on when to tell them and decided that today was probably as good as any. Winter was soon approaching and that meant fewer runs. She needed to let them know in enough time so that they could do the runs they needed to prepare before the cold set in.

She walked into breakfast and was surprised to see there were a few people already in there. Carol was cooking up something on their makeshift stove that Beth thought smelled like eggs. It was amazing what she could smell now. It was as if her senses had magnified. Carol smiled at Beth as she walked in. Beth sat down at the table and looked around at the others. Glenn glanced over at her.

"Hey." Glenn said.

"Hey." Beth smiled slightly.

Rick came in from outside and faltered for a moment when he noticed Beth at the table. He quickly regained his composure and gave her a smile as he sat down across from Glenn. Maggie and her daddy came in together a few minutes later and Maggie came around to give her a hug.

"It's so good to see you up and moving around." Maggie whispered in her ear as they hugged.

"It feels good." Beth admitted.

She watched Hershel come over to the table. He paused next to her and put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a brief squeeze. She put her hand over his and brought his hand to her cheek. His eyes glistened for a moment before he let go. She watched him hobble over to where Carol was putting the finishing touches on breakfast. She noticed Michonne looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't said anything to her but the way she was looking at her made Beth nervous. She knew Michonne was really perceptive.

She rubbed her temples as she continued to sit. Daryl was the last to come in, saying something to the others before stopping short at the sight of her. Their eyes locked and his briefly landed on her belly. She ducked her head and glanced to see if anyone had been watching but everyone seemed busy talking. Carol walked over to her and set a plate of powdered eggs in front of her.

"Thank you." Beth said and Carol smiled at her as she walked away.

Beth picked up her fork and felt her stomach roll as the smell invaded her nose. _Oh, no._ She sat back in her chair and tried to fight the wave of nausea threatening to spew forth. When Carol sat down next to her with her own eggs, Beth couldn't hold back any longer. She pushed her chair back frantically and ran outside. She scrambled to the side of the building just as she started puking. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder as she proceeded to throw up everything inside of her and then some. Finally, her stomach settled enough for her to stand up straight and she did so shakily. She turned to see Carol standing next to her.

"Feel better?" Carol asked.

Beth nodded. "I think so."

Carol handed her a water. "Here. This will help wash the taste from your mouth."

Beth accepted it gratefully and followed Carol over to the bleachers to sit. She drank a few small sips of the water, swished it around in her mouth, and spit it to the side. This baby loved to make her nauseous.

Carol was quiet for a few minutes. "So how far along are you?"

Beth gasped and looked at Carol. "How did you know?" She whispered.

Carol smiled. "I was pregnant once. I know how it works. I remember being sick a lot with Sophia. Ginger Ale helps a lot."

Beth relaxed a little now that Carol didn't seem upset by this news in any way. "I think I'm maybe 2 months along? I haven't had my period since...well, you know."

"Oh. Well, don't you think it's time to tell the others? You need vitamins and you really should let Hershel check you out to make sure everything's okay."

Beth nodded. "I know. I've just been putting it off because I don't know how everyone will react. They aren't Merle's biggest fans, you know."

"Honey, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and take a stand. I think they will react better than you think. But seeing as how we were so unprepared with Lori, you really do need to tell them. It's going to be winter soon and there's things you will need." Carol said.

"I know. I plan on telling them today. Do you think you can keep it to yourself until I find the time?" Beth asked.

"I'm not sure you have that much time. You just ran out of there to throw up over the smell of eggs. They know something's up. We're all together, why not tell them now?" Carol offered.

Beth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. Will you stand with me?"

Carol smiled and took her hand. "Sure. Come on." She tugged her gently back into the building where the conversation had resumed its normal pace. As soon as they entered back inside, the conversation halted and all eyes turned to Beth. Carol squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"I... um...I have an announcement." Beth paused to calm her nerves.

"You're pregnant." Glenn said jokingly. He laughed and then when he noticed that Beth had grown pale and no one else was laughing he stopped. "Oh." He said.

Hershel stood. "Is this Merle's baby?"

Beth swallowed and nodded slightly. Hershel looked at her for a few minutes and then turned and left the room. Beth looked at Carol alarmingly and Carol took off after him, leaving Beth standing alone.

"Beth? I don't understand. How could you not say anything before now?" Maggie asked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to bring it up and I wanted to be sure." Beth replied.

The others all shuffled in their seats and then Rick excused himself to go outside. He brushed past Beth without a word and Beth could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

"I think it's great. Judith will finally have a friend to play with." Carl said. He smiled at Beth and Beth tried to return the smile but the tears finally spilled over. She turned and ran outside.

...

Daryl watched Beth try to fight the tears. His gut twisted as he saw that no one offered her a word of congratulations on the baby. He knew how she must be feeling because he himself felt that way often. _Like an outcast._ He shoved his plate of eggs to the side and stood. The remaining members of the group all watched him silently.

He started to leave but then stopped. "You know. I expected more out of all y'all. The girl is scared and feeling pretty bad right now. She's havin' my brother's baby and he ain't even gon' be here ta see it. Y'all should be ashamed of yerselves!" With that being said, he turned on his heel and stalked out.

When he entered the courtyard, he glanced around to see where Beth was. It took him a few minutes but he finally spotted her down near the fence. He jogged down until he was only a couple of steps away.

"Ya shouldn't be out here in yer condition by yerself." Daryl said.

"What difference does it make? I'm on my own anyway. My own father didn't even say anything to me." She rested her hand on her belly as she looked around.

Daryl didn't know what to tell her. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was out here following her around right now. He supposed he felt drawn to her in a way because she was suffering the loss as well. He saw the moment she spotted Merle's grave. He looked at her worriedly and followed behind her as she walked over to it. He watched her get down on her knees and run her hands over the dirt. He got down next to her, not knowing what else to do.

"He died honorably. He went out fighting, right?" Beth glanced up at him through teary eyes.

Daryl sucked in a breath. He wasn't good with emotions. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. He was total badass until the end."

Beth smiled and reached for his hand. Startled, he let her take it and she held on as if she were falling. He looked down at their hands joined together and felt his pulse jump. The silence was awkward and he searched for something to say to fill it.

"He'll never know he's a father." Beth said.

Daryl just sat there. He didn't know what to say to that. He had his own reasons for being mad that Merle was gone but there was nothing him or anyone else could do to change that now. Some days it didn't seem real to him. It seemed as though he was just gone on a binge or out hunting and sometimes he caught himself scanning the woods for him as if he might appear one day.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that there would be a baby soon. He never much thought about Lori's baby until he actually had held her. He always knew it was there, he just couldn't see it so it wasn't as real to him. It was the same with Beth. She wasn't even really showing yet and he was having a hard time coming to terms with it. He felt his arm shaking and realized that Beth was quietly sobbing.

"Shit." He muttered.

He pulled her over to him and she collapsed into his arms, grateful for the comfort. He awkwardly held her as they sat there on Merle's grave, both of them grieving in their own way. Finally, her tears began to slow but she continued to hang onto him. He didn't have the heart to push her away so he just sat there until she was ready.

After a few minutes, he glanced down at her and saw that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep. His gut clenched and he untangled himself from her and stood to pick her up. She weighed next to nothing and he was surprised by that. He had always assumed pregnant women would be a little heavy. He carried her easily and she snuggled into his chest wearily.

_What have you done brother,_ Daryl thought. _What have you done?_


	3. Chapter 3

****AN: Woohoo! Two chapters in a day again! I hope you all are still with me! Read and review, dying to know your thoughts! Thank you :)**

Beth woke up sometime later that night disoriented. She was still fully dressed but she was in her bed. Then the day came flooding back to her and she remembered being outside with Daryl at Merle's grave. She must have cried herself to sleep.

She hated being this way. She couldn't seem to get enough sleep lately and she didn't know if that was from the pregnancy or from her grief over Merle. She sat up in the bed and lit her tiny lamp. She saw her daddy's bible on her bedside table and knew then that he had been there. She had hoped that he would come around and she saw the bible as a good sign.

Seeing as how she had slept all day, she was now wide awake and very hungry. She changed into a pair of cotton shorts and a more comfortable shirt and ventured out in search of food. She searched for some time before stumbling upon a can of peaches somewhat hidden in the back of the food supply. Grinning and feeling her belly grumble in anticipation, she popped the top and grabbed a fork.

The first bite was so delicious that she moaned out loud. The juices ran down her chin but she didn't care. It was just _so_ good.

"I had Carol hide those peaches for me. Guess she didn't do a good job." Daryl's voice said from the shadows behind her.

She jumped in her seat and slowly turned. She could now make out his silhouette in the the shadows. "I'm sorry." She said.

She saw the red glow of a cigarette and he took one last draw before putting it out and walking over to the table beside her.

"May I?" He gestured to the peaches.

"Um, sure. Help yourself." She replied.

He took the fork from her hand and stabbed a peach. He closed his eyes as he put it in his mouth and chewed.

Beth watched him curiously. He was so attractive. The pale light of the moon shining through the windows cast a soft glow on all of his features. He had on a button up sleeveless shirt that was at that moment unbuttoned so that she could see most of his chest. It was very finely sculpted and she wondered why she had never noticed Daryl in that way before. She cast her eyes over his chest and then felt ashamed for even thinking such a thing about him. _Wasn't she in mourning?_

He handed her back her fork and sat on top of the table facing her. "So whatcha doin' up?"

Beth stabbed another peach before responding. "Got hungry. I didn't mean to sleep all day. I'm assuming you put me in my bed. Thanks."

He shrugged. "Wasn't gonna leave ya to sleep out there."

He swiped the fork from her hand and put the peach in his mouth before she could take a bite.

"Hey!" She cried.

"You was takin' so long. Can't help it when ya danglin' it all in my face like that."

Beth smiled. She speared another peach and quickly put this one in her mouth before he got any more ideas. She thought she could almost taste him as she licked the fork clean of the juices. _Who was she kidding? Merle had only been gone two months and she was moving on to his brother? Not to mention that she was pregnant. Who would want her with another man's child?_

She pushed the rest of the can away from her as those thoughts began to make her stomach sour.

...

Daryl thought that watching Beth eat those peaches was about the most erotic thing he had ever seen. They way her eyes had closed and she had stuck her tongue out to savor each and every drop. He cursed himself for where his thoughts were traveling. She was his brother's woman and he had no rights to her. _Except your brother's gone and she's pregnant with his child, _a voice inside his head whispered. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as Beth pushed the can away from her.

"What's tha matter? You feelin' sick again?" He immediately looked for a trashcan or a bucket for her to throw up in.

"No, I'm fine. I've had enough. Why don't you finish them?" Beth asked.

"You look like somebody ran over ya dog." He commented.

"I was just thinking about Merle." Beth said softly.

Daryl interpreted that to mean that she still missed him very much and he kicked himself again for where his thoughts had traveled a minute ago.

"Yeah, he really does have shitty timing. Figures the one time he does anythin' right, he ain't round to see it."

To his surprise Beth laughed. "He does have quite a way about him, doesn't he?" She asked.

Daryl smirked. "Yeah."

"Can I see your tattoo?" Beth asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Your tattoo. The one you mentioned the day all of you were talking about it outside in the courtyard. You said you had a pair of angel wings on your back that Merle did for you."

"Shit, you remember that?" Daryl asked.

Beth blushed a little. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Daryl walked over to the little lamp that sat on a table at the side of the room and switched it on. Light washed over both of their features and he suddenly felt a little naked. He noticed how beautiful she looked with her hair down and her clothes that were hugging tight to her body that now had a little more curves.

He didn't really like showing people his back. He had numerous scars there from when he was younger on up to now. But he turned his back to her and slowly lowered his shirt. He heard her get up and come over to him and after a few seconds, her cool fingers slid over his tattoo. He shivered. No one had ever touched him like that.

"It's beautiful." She murmured softly.

Daryl cleared his throat and quickly pulled his shirt back up. She hadn't mentioned his scars and for that he was glad. He knew she had seen them. There was no way you could look at his back and not see the ugly scars. He turned back around. The silence was suddenly thick and Daryl felt the urge to escape.

She must have sensed his anxiety because she leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight Daryl." She whispered.

He swallowed. "Goodnight."

...

Beth didn't remember falling back asleep in her room but she must have because next thing she knew it was morning and she opened her eyes to find her daddy sitting in her chair by the bed reading his bible. His eyes landed on her as she stirred and he tagged his place and closed the bible.

"Good morning." He said.

Beth tried to judge his mood but his face was blank. "Good morning." She replied.

Hershel set his bible to the side and scooted closer to her bed. "How are you feeling?"

She noticed his black doctor bag sitting beside his chair. "Besides the occasional nausea, I feel fine. Well I do seem more tired than normal though." She added.

Hershel nodded. "Any spotting?"

She blushed. "No."

"Good. Make sure you let me know if it does occur." He reached into his bag for his stethoscope and placed it on her chest to listen to her heart.

"Can you hear the baby's hearbeat?" Beth asked eagerly.

Hershel removed the scope from her chest and sat back. "Probably not until the third trimester. A stethoscope is not strong enough to hear it when they are this small, that's why ultrasounds are so nice to have. We'll just have to rely on how you're feeling for the time being." He said.

"Oh." Beth was disappointed.

"This _slip-up_ happened while you and Merle were out on your own?" Hershel asked.

Beth nodded. "Yes. We weren't...prepared."

Hershel frowned at her words. "So I would say two months is probably an accurate estimate. I'll get Carol to take some notes and mark dates. The baby should be due around springtime." He jotted down a couple of things in his notebook then began to put all of his stuff back up.

"I've been going over a lot with Carol and I'll train her to do a pelvic exam on you and report back to me her findings." He stood to leave.

Beth felt rejected that he didn't even bring up anything personal at all. She couldn't let him leave like this.

"Daddy, wait! Please. Talk to me." She pleaded.

Hershel's shoulders sank and he turned back around to her wearily. "I don't really know what to say."

"Just tell me you still love me." Beth felt warm tears streak down her face and wiped at them angrily. _Stupid hormones._

Hershel's face softened and he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. Beth collapsed against him with relief. She sobbed into his chest for a few minutes before pulling back. She felt much better now and she took a deep breath.

"Of course I still love you sweetheart. You're my baby girl and I'll always love you no matter what. I'm just trying to come to terms with you having a relationship with Merle and now you are carrying his child." He said.

Beth nodded. That _was _a lot. "I'm sorry I let you down."

He sighed. "I'm sorry too. I should have been there for you more than I was. I know I'm hard on you. I guess I was just trying to keep you innocent as long as possible. I can see that you had a deep love for him even if I can't quite understand it yet. God must have shown you something in Merle that no one else saw."

"He wasn't all bad. I swear. I did love him and I still do. I miss him." Beth looked down at her blanket.

"Of course. You are pregnant so just remember your emotions will run high and sometimes you will have your low points. If you ever feel depressed, you must let us know." Hershel looked at her.

"I won't try that anymore. I'm over that, I promise. This baby means the world to me." She placed her hands lovingly on her belly and Hershel surprised her by covering them with his own.

Their eyes met. "Then it means the world to me too." He said.

Beth smiled.

...

"Dammit!" Daryl yelled as he fought with his motorcycle.

He really wanted to kick it but knew it would do no good. He was trying to change the oil and almost tore the meat off his hand as he grazed it across a jagged piece of metal. The bike had seen better days for sure. He knew he could have his pick of any bike out there now since money was no longer an option but he didn't want just any bike. He wanted this bike. It had brought him through a lot of hard times and he would ride it until he could no longer fix it.

"Everything okay?" Rick squatted next to him to ask.

"Yeah. Just 'bout lost some skin is all." Daryl muttered.

"What?" Rick asked.

"Nothing," Darly replied. "What's up?"

"We need to do a run. Need to do it soon and it will probably be a big one." Rick said.

Daryl nodded. He had figured as much. "Alright. When ya thinkin'?"

Rick shifted and glanced around the yard. "Maybe in two days? Give us time to come up with a list and get a few people together."

"Who you thinkin' on sendin' on this run?"

"I figure you, me, Maggie and Michonne can probably handle it. Maggie is pretty good with all the baby stuff and maybe planning for this baby will lighten the mood a little." Rick said.

"Sounds like a plan." Daryl replied.


	4. Chapter 4

On the morning of the run Daryl was outside before the others doing a last minute check on his bike. He didn't really feel like going on this run but he knew that it was necessary. They needed to get stuff now while the weather was still good and they could get in and out of places easily. Something about the cold made the walkers want to gather in herds and it could be deadly running into them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beth approaching. He did a double take as his gaze swept over her. _Was it just him or were her breasts actually bigger?_ He glanced quickly back down at his bike. He really needed to get a grip.

She stopped over next to him and ran her hand over the seat of the bike. "I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle." She commented.

Daryl glanced up at her surprised. "Yeah?" Beth nodded. "Well maybe I'll take ya for a ride one day." Daryl said.

She looked down at him excitedly and their eyes met. She blushed quickly and averted her gaze elsewhere. Daryl made his adjustments and stood up. No one else had made it outside yet.

"So you're going on the run today?" Beth changed the subject.

"Yep."

"Why don't you all go to Woodbury and clean out the supplies from there? I think they had babies so there might be baby stuff." She suggested.

Daryl paused. "That's a good idea. Maybe we will."

Beth touched his arm. "Be careful." She said softly.

Daryl's eyes flashed. He sucked in a breath. "Don't worry. I wouldn't leave you an the baby. Yer both my family now."

Something inside Beth clenched. "You mean that?"

Daryl thought about it for a minute. "Yeah. I mean it. I wanna help take care of tha kid."

Beth smiled. "I would like that."

...

Beth chose to wander around in the yard while the others were gone on the run. She was feeling restless and felt like she needed to be doing something useful. The only problem was that she didn't exactly know what that something was. She decided to seek Carol out and found her sitting at the picnic table reading a book.

"Hey. What are you reading?" Beth asked as she took a seat next to her.

"Hey there. I'm reading a book on pregnancy. Hershel is teaching me everything he knows about it and he thought this might be useful. It's rather old though so I'm not sure how much help it's going to be unless we travel back in time to 1983." Carol wrinkled her nose and smiled.

"I'm glad you're going to be there to help. I just hope everything goes okay."

Carol studied her. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see. You'll worry yourself to death if you think about things going wrong."

Beth picked at her nails. "I know. It's just that I keep thinking about what happened with Lori."

Carol hugged her tightly for a moment. "Don't. Lori's situation was different. I hadn't had a lot of time to prepare like I do with you. Plus, we were overrun by the walkers and she was split from Hershel. That won't happen this time. We've got this place pretty cleaned out and secure now. The Governor's gone now too so that's another threat we don't have hanging over us."

"I just want everything to go smoothly. I didn't ever picture myself getting pregnant and now here I am pregnant and going to be a single parent." Beth said.

Carol smiled softly. "Look around you honey. Do you really think you're going to be in this alone?"

...

Daryl and the others finally made it back to the prison late that afternoon. Woodbury had turned out to be a good haul for them and there had been plenty of baby stuff for them to get.

The others came out to see what they had gotten and Daryl found himself looking for Beth. He had something for her but he didn't see her anywhere. He was a little disappointed because he figured she would be out there when he came back with the others. He spotted Glenn off to the side and walked over.

"Hey, have you seen Beth?" Daryl asked him.

"Um, yeah, I think she's in her cell. Probably puking. Might want to wait a bit." Glenn said.

"It's alright, I can handle it." Daryl strode past him inside the prison as Hershel was coming out.

He nodded to Hershel as he passed and kept on going until he got to Beth's cell. Sure enough, she was hunched over the trashcan puking. He quickly put his bow down on the table and went to her side. He instinctively started rubbing her back as she heaved a few more times and then sat up wearily. He wiped her mouth off and helped her position herself onto the bed. She closed her eyes as she tried to get her bearings back. He grabbed her water off of the table and put it to her lips.

"Drink." He instructed.

She opened her mouth and took a few sips, swishing it around to rid herself of the aftertaste. Finally she opened her eyes and stared back at him.

"Thanks," She said softly. "You made it back." She smiled at him.

"Told ya I would. I got ya somethin' for the baby." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a teddy bear. It was brown with white paws and a black nose. She held it to her face and nuzzled it.

"It's so soft, thank you." She commented.

Daryl watched her nuzzle the bear and he was glad now that he had stuck it in his pocket when he had seen it at one of the houses. He had wanted to do something for the baby.

Beth stared at him for a few minutes before speaking again. "Were you able to find a lot of stuff?" She asked.

Daryl played with the blanket. "We got a crib, formula, some clothes, an' blankets. We also found some more meds an' food. Oh, and Maggie found some baby books for ya."

Beth smiled. "Good! That will help me pass the time when I'm puking. This little guy is making me sick." She rubbed her belly.

"Guy? How you know?" Daryl wrinkled his brow.

Beth laughed softly. "I don't. I'm just assuming that it will be a boy. I've always wanted a little boy. What about you? You ever wanted kids?"

Daryl snorted. "Do I look like father material to ya? I ain't never thought about it really. I mean as long as its healthy I would have been fine with anything I got."

"I think you would have been great at it. You handle Judith pretty well. You're sweet." Beth touched his hand.

Daryl blushed a little. "Nah, I ain't sweet."

Beth sat up a little straighter and leaned forward. "But you are! You've helped me out so much already. I really enjoy talking to you." Now it was her turn to blush a little.

"Yeah?" Daryl's eyes met hers.

Beth nodded and Daryl leaned closer. His heart was racing as he saw her eyes flutter closed. When his lips touched hers, she moaned softly and put her hand behind his head. He wrapped his arms around her waist and was careful not to touch anything else. She tasted sweet and she was so warm in his arms. She was nothing like any other woman he ha ever kissed. He moved his hand to cup her face and he grazed her breast by accident. She gasped and he immediately pulled back in alarm.

"I'm sorry." He said worriedly.

"No, it's okay. It's just that they're so tender. They're... bigger." She blushed.

Daryl tried hard to focus his attention elsewhere but he lost the battle and looked. They _were_ bigger.

"I probably shouldn't have kissed ya. It won't happen again." He told her.

She grabbed his hand. "I liked it." She whispered.

She held his hand and he sat there wondering what to do now. He had never been in this situation before and he had dozens of thoughts swirling around in his head. The one that worried him the most was-

_He had liked it too._

_..._

_****AN: It's a short chapter, I know. Sorry! I'm hoping to get a much longer one out tomorrow. Thank you for the couple of reviews for the last chapter. Glad to know some are hanging with me! I hope that this kiss will be like an icebreaker for them and that now they can kind of explore their feelings more. I think that right now they are both scared of what they are feeling. It's going to be fun watching them grow! Please review, it makes me so happy. :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_**AN: This would have been posted yesterday but the site was having technical difficulties... So here you go! Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry some of you have been having trouble finding the story. Apparently the alerts didn't alert some people but what matters is you're here now and I thank you for that. I'll probably get another chapter out later today so show me some love please! LOL_**

_She dropped out of the tree at the sound of the second explosion. She couldn't wait any longer. She ran out of the cover of the woods and saw him. He was grinning and he looked so perfect that she wanted to run to him and bury herself in his arms. As he turned to smile at her, the bullet hit him and as she watched in horror, he crumpled to the ground before her. She started to scream. _

"Beth! Beth! Wake up!" Daryl's voice came through her dream.

She thrashed violently and sat up so quickly they smacked heads and her vision blurred. "Daryl?" She mumbled as she tried to stop the swimming in her head and focus.

"Damn it. Yeah, it's me. Shit ya got a hard head." He muttered.

Her vision finally focused enough that he came into view. It was still dark out but she could just make out his figure in the dark. He was holding his head.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"What tha hell was you dreamin' girl? You was screamin' like somebody was guttin' ya." He said.

Beth rolled over on her side to face the wall. "It's nothing." She whispered.

Daryl snorted. "Hell yeah, it's somethin'! You don't have dreams like that 'bout nothin', now what is it?" He grabbed her arm to roll her back over.

"I have nightmares about… you know." Her voice was teary.

Daryl ran a hand through his hair. "You cryin'?" He asked.

"No!" Beth sobbed.

Daryl was at a loss. She _was_ crying, so why was she saying she wasn't. _Women._

He sighed. "Look, I'll stay with ya a few minutes if ya want. Just so ya can fall asleep."

Beth sniffed and wiped her nose. To be honest, she wasn't really sure why she was crying. It just seemed to happen lately at the worst times. The dreams about Merle were always similar. It was always a variation of her running towards him but as soon as she got close, he always got shot. She kept trying to change the ending but she couldn't and it frustrated her beyond belief. She wiped at her eyes. At least she hadn't woken up Maggie or anyone else this time.

"Okay." She said softly.

He lay down on top of the blankets next to her and put his arms behind his head. She immediately rolled over to put her head on his chest and he automatically tensed.

She sensed his anxiety. "Is this okay?" She mumbled, her voice already laced with sleep.

Daryl was getting dizzy with her mood changes. _Were pregnant women always like this?_

"I guess. But just 'til ya fall asleep okay?" He asked.

He waited for a response but all he felt was the rise and fall of her chest and her light breathing. He checked and saw she was already asleep. Daryl sighed as he felt something poking him in the back. Leaning up slightly, he pulled the teddy bear he had brought her out from under him. She must be sleeping with it. He toyed with it a minute before tucking it on the other side of her and resting his head back on the pillow.

….

Daryl must have left sometime in the middle of the night because the next morning when Beth woke, he wasn't there. She could still smell his scent on her pillow though and she breathed it in. She hadn't had any more nightmares after that and she was thankful. She climbed out of bed and quickly changed into her clothes for the day. As always, when she changed her shirt, she looked down at her belly. There was a slight bump and besides that and her larger breasts, there were no other indications that she was pregnant. She slipped on her shoes and went to join the others for breakfast.

"Good morning everyone." She said.

The others that were up muttered some things in return that sounded vaguely like good morning. They all looked pretty tired this morning and everyone made a beeline for the coffee that Carol soon had ready. As she went to see what was for breakfast, she was disappointed to see that it was eggs again. She made a face and Carol nudged her arm and pointed to a bowl that was full of sliced peaches.

Beth's stomach grumbled in response. She smiled at Carol. "Thank you!" She gave her a quick hug.

"You're welcome. I didn't want a repeat of the other morning." Carol winked at her.

Beth took her bowl and went to sit at the table. She was halfway through when Daryl entered and grabbed a plate. He sat down across from her and she felt him looking at her so she glanced up at him. He was staring at her peaches hungrily.

"How come you get peaches now?" He muttered.

Carol passed by him and squeezed his shoulder. She bent down to him. "Don't worry, I have a can put up for you too." She reassured him.

Daryl snorted. "Better make sure ya hide it good. This one here's got a nose on her. She'll sniff it out an' eat it like last time." He smiled but Beth must not have seen it.

Beth pushed her peaches towards him and stood up. "You can have your peaches Daryl! Don't worry; I won't be eating them anymore!" She yelled and stomped outside.

Daryl sat in stunned silence. The only sounds that could be heard at the table were spoons scraping against plates. _What the hell had just happened?_ He glanced around at the others to find them all staring at him.

"What you all lookin' at? I ain't meant nothin' by it! I was jus' playin' with her. Damn woman can't even take a joke!" He pushed his chair back and stalked outside as Glenn was coming in. He took in the expressions on the others and looked back at Daryl's retreating back.

"What did I miss?" He asked as Daryl slammed the door shut.

…

Daryl didn't even look around as he took off down to the fences on the back side. He needed to get out of here. He needed to kill something and work off some frustration. He didn't understand why she had taken offense. He didn't care about the damn peaches; he was just trying to crack a joke.

He muttered to himself as he stalked down to the fence. He put an arrow through two walkers heads and pulled it back out before they could fall away from the fence. He wiped them on the grass to clean them.

"You okay?" Rick asked.

"I'm just _peachy_." Daryl sneered sarcastically.

Rick bit back a smile. He didn't miss the irony of that statement. "She's just hormonal Daryl. When Lori was pregnant with Carl, I thought she was going to murder me in my sleep a few times. You just have to overlook them sometimes."

Daryl wiped his forehead and looked around. "I guess."

Rick regarded him intently. "You two seem to be closer than before. Anything going on?"

Daryl cast an eye at him. He couldn't figure out if he was being serious or teasing. "Jus' tryin' to help with the baby. Hell man, I don't know what I'm doin'. I offered to help but I don't know what she expects of me sometimes!"Daryl grabbed the fence and stared out.

Rick walked over to stand next to him. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"What you mean?" Daryl asked.

"Just be careful. She might think there's more to it." Rick said.

"So what if it was? Ain't such a bad thing. I mean I ain't gonna hurt her or nothing'." Daryl was slightly offended by that.

"I didn't mean that. But you have to admit there's quite an age difference." Rick commented.

Daryl nodded. "There is. There was more of a difference 'tween her and Merle though."

Rick didn't reply and instead stared out through the fence.

...

Beth stalked out to the front lawn of the prison and sat down in the grass. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the woods beyond the fence. She briefly wondered what her life would have been like now if there hadn't been an apocalypse.

She wasn't exactly sure now what had made her snap at Daryl and she felt really bad about it. He was being so sweet to her and having him next to her last night had been wonderful. As great as Merle was, he wasn't anything like his brother. Daryl was sweet without even realizing it and it really was kind of cute.

She stood up. She really should find him and apologize. She walked around the yards trying to spot him and came upon Carl and another guy from Woodbury playing with a football. She paused a minute to watch the game and Carl turned to wave at her. She turned to wave back and the ball bounced straight off her chest with a loud smack. She started to fall backwards from the hit but strong arms grabbed her around the waist and she turned to see Daryl holding her. He looked very angry. As soon as he made sure she had regained balance he strode over to the guy who had thrown the football.

"What tha hell is your problem man? Didn't ya see her standin' here? She's pregnant for Christ sake!" Daryl yelled.

The guy looked around and it was clear that he had meant no harm and was now looking for an escape.

"I- I'm sorry," He stammered, "I didn't see her until too late."

"Yeah, you gonna be sorry!" Daryl was striding over to him, his face a stony mask.

A crowd had gathered outside as everyone tried to figure out what was going on. Carol was the one who stepped between the two men before Daryl could get close to the guy.

"Daryl don't. Justin didn't mean anything by it. You're a lot stronger than him and you could really hurt him. You need to calm down first. Please." Carol grabbed his arm gently.

Daryl's eyes flicked from Carol to Justin and back again. He jerked his arm out of her grasp. "Fine! You watch yourself!" He called to Justin. He turned back to Beth momentarily and then strode away.

She saw Maggie shoot her a questioning glance and Beth shook her head that it wasn't the time. She debated on what to do and then decided to go after Daryl.

"Hey Beth, I'm sorry. I hope we didn't hurt the baby." Carl said as she walked past him.

She flashed him a smile. "I'm okay Carl. Daryl's just mad at me. I think." She said.

She walked around the big brick building and finally found him sitting on some crates playing with the bolts from his crossbow. He was twirling them over and over with his fingers and his brow was creased.

"Hey." She said as she stopped a few feet in front of him.

He eyed her warily. "If I say hey back are you gonna go all batshit crazy on me again?"

Beth laughed. She walked over to sit next to him. "I owe you an apology for that. I'm really sorry I yelled."

Daryl gave her a small smile. "It's alright. I'm really sorry I overreacted about tha football. You alright?"

She rubbed her chest a little. It was definitely sore, but she thought overall it was fine. "It's not too bad. A little sore and it might bruise but I'll live."

"Didn't hit tha baby?" He asked.

"No, just me. No worries." She smiled and bumped him playfully with her arm.

Daryl glanced down at her belly and then back up at her. "Can I?" He nodded towards her bump. She was surprised that he would ask but she nodded. He gently placed his hands on her bump. "I thought ya would be able to feel it movin'." He said.

"It's still too early for that. I think the book I read said around four to five months." She tingled at the feel of his hands on her and looking at his awed expression, she suddenly wanted to kiss him again. He must have sensed the change because he looked up at her but he didn't take his hands away. She placed her hands over his and threaded her fingers through his. He looked down at their twined hands.

"Beth-" Daryl began.

"Can I kiss you?" Beth asked at the same time. She blushed at her boldness.

Daryl didn't respond but he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He removed his hands from hers and her belly and grabbed her head to pull her closer. It was just as sweet as she remembered. He took his time and didn't poke and prod. He almost seemed shy about it. She scooted closer until she was almost in his lap. When he finally pulled away she had her eyes closed. She opened them slowly and smiled at him. He didn't respond and turned back to his bolts and began twirling them again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile and her heart skipped a beat.


	6. Chapter 6

****A big thanks to fbg67! :)**

The next day brought relatively cooler air but the sun was still out so everyone tried to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the sunshine. They all knew that winter would soon be upon them and it could very well be the last of the warm days.

Daryl watched Beth as she stretched out in the sun with Maggie and Carol. They laughed and chatted and he briefly wondered what they were talking about. Every time she laughed, she tipped her head back and the sunlight glinted off of her blonde hair and he was captivated by the sight of it. He found himself wanting to do things to make her laugh and smile more. That was a very odd sensation for him that he hadn't ever experienced before.

He stood up and walked over to her with an idea. "Hey." He said as he approached the women.

They all stopped laughing and talking once he walked up. Carol and Maggie regarded him with a small smile and he suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Hey." Beth replied.

Daryl stuck his hand in his pocket and ran the other through his hair. "Uh, can I talk to ya for a minute?"

Maggie and Carol cast amused glances between the pair of them. Carol stood up and pulled on Maggie's arm. "Come on, let's give them space." Carol said.

"Do I have to? This looks like it's going to be good." Maggie laughed and raised her eyebrows for emphasis. Beth held back a snicker.

"Now Maggie," Carol laughed, "We give you and Glenn your private time in the guard shack."

Now Beth did burst out laughing and Daryl even found himself fighting a smile. Maggie and Glenn tried to be discreet about it, but the whole group knew what they were really doing in that guard shack.

Maggie squealed and swatted at Carol playfully. She cast one last glance at Daryl and walked away with Carol. Beth looked at him expectantly.

"I was thinkin' 'bout takin' the bike out one more time before it gets too cold. Thought ya might wanna come 'long." Daryl said. He held his breath.

Beth's face lit up and she jumped up. "Absolutely!"

"Alright. I'll go get it warmed up an' you go let them know where ya goin'." Daryl told her.

Beth nodded and ran off. Daryl shook his head as he watched her go.

...

Beth bounded enthusiastically over to where Hershel was conversing with Rick and Tyreese. Hershel glanced at her in surprise and then turned back to the two men.

"Excuse me a minute." He said and walked with Beth off to the side.

"I'm going to take a ride with Daryl on his bike. Okay?" She asked.

Hershel looked out towards the bike as Daryl fired it up and then back down at Beth's excited face. He sighed. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I really want to get out for a bit. I think the fresh air would be good for me. Besides, you've seen Daryl ride so you know that he's good at it." Beth talked so fast she had to pause to take a deep breath.

Hershel laughed in spite of himself. "Alright. I suppose it's fine. It is a beautiful day. No wandering around off of the bike though. We don't need any accidents. Just be careful." Hershel pressed a kiss to her forehead and Beth hugged him.

"Of course we will. Thank you." She turned and headed back towards Daryl.

She was tired of having to ask permission for everything but she was in a good mood today and she was going on a ride with Daryl. She was on a natural high and was determined to not let anything bring her down.

...

Daryl strapped his bow to his bag on the motorcycle and bumped into her as he turned around. She stepped back quickly and heat spread to her cheeks at the contact of his body against hers. He looked down at her for a brief moment and she thought she saw desire flash in his eyes but she wasn't a good judge at that sort of thing so she didn't know for sure.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded. He grabbed his helmet and pushed it onto her head. He flipped open the visor and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do I really have to wear this thing?" She asked.

"Yep. My bike, my rules." He replied. He climbed onto the bike and leaned forward so she could climb on behind him. She slipped her arms around him and she felt him tense slightly. He always seemed to tense up when he was touched affectionately.

Carl opened the gate to let them out and Michonne stepped out to decapitate the few walkers that were there so that they could pass safely. Daryl tipped his head at her as they pulled out.

She reveled in the feel of the wind on her face as they rode on. The prison grew smaller and smaller behind them until she could no longer see it in Daryl's mirrors. He stepped on the gas suddenly and she shrieked in delight as they shot forward. She grabbed onto him more tightly. They rode up and down road after road. Some were littered with abandoned vehicles and walkers, others seemed to be mostly clear. On the clear roads she could almost pretend that they were in another time where no walkers existed.

After a while, Daryl slowed the bike some and she leaned back a little in relaxation. He turned down a dirt road off to the side. He drove for some time, weaving back and forth and making her laugh. He pulled to the side like he was going to turn around and then he must have changed his mind because he suddenly stepped on the gas to keep going. She held on tight with her eyes closed as he drove over rough terrain and she only opened them when she felt him come to a complete stop. She took off her helmet and looked around in awe.

They had stopped at a pond of some sort that had a huge floating dock in the middle. The pond was surrounded by miles of fields and the fields were covered in wildflowers. There was a large house set away from the pond. It had a huge wraparound porch with a swing.

She started to get off but Daryl's hand stopped her. He grabbed his crossbow and quickly took out two walkers that had come ambling down the porch steps of the house. He stood up then and surveyed the area. Seemingly satisfied, he held out his hand for her to climb off. She had to hold on for a few moments as she tried to get acclimated to standing again after being on the bike for so long.

"How did you find this place?" She asked him.

"Saw it through tha woods jus' now. Thought we might raid the place for food but this here pond's a nice bonus. How 'bout a dip?" He asked.

"I don't have a suit." Beth frowned.

"Ya got on a bra and underwear right? Ain't that same as a bikini?" Daryl asked.

Beth looked at the water. It was so tempting and it had been so long since she had gone for a swim. She wasn't sure about wearing just her bra and panties around Daryl though. She could use a new bra and her panties weren't actually appropriate. Still, it was Daryl and she really wanted to get in the water.

"Alright. Turn your head though." She said.

Daryl rolled his eyes and complied. He began undressing as well and she watched him a moment as he took off his boots. She turned her attention back to her clothes and quickly shed herself of them. She wanted to be in the water before he turned around. She ran past him and jumped into the cool water with a squeal. The water was chilly because the days weren't as hot to warm it. She quickly submerged herself into the water before she could change her mind.

"Keep it down. We don't want no company." Daryl said.

He hesitated a minute before taking off his shirt. Then he realized she had already seen his scars once when he had shown her his tattoo so he yanked it over his head. He stood there in his briefs before striding over to the water's edge. Beth came out from under the water and he sucked in a breath.

"What?" Beth asked as he looked at her wide eyed. She glanced down at herself self-consciously.

"For cryin' out loud, don't ya have a bigger bra?" He asked.

Beth blushed. "No. This is all I have. It's kind of worn, I know." She murmured.

"Worn? It's kinda _small_." Daryl emphasized.

He waded into the water through clenched teeth. It sure looked a lot warmer than it felt. He held his breath and dove underneath. Coming back up he felt a little better.

Beth watched him swim as she floated on her back around the pool. She closed her eyes and began to daydream about what it would be like to make love with Daryl. She wanted to feel his lips on her body and despite the cold water, she began to feel hot. She also noticed how quiet it was.

Opening her eyes, she looked around for Daryl. She didn't see him anywhere and she began to get worried. _Had he gotten out?_ She looked towards the bike just as his hand shot out of the water and grabbed her ankle. She had just enough time to draw a breath before he pulled her under. His hands covered her waist and she pushed him playfully before surfacing. As he came up, she pounced on him and pushed him under again. He grabbed her tightly and she struggled to get away. She looked into his eyes and saw the evil intent lurking there.

She laughed. "Don't!" She warned.

He smiled wickedly and picked her up out of the water and threw her to the side, making her fall into the water with a giant splash. He swam over to her as she surfaced again and he laughed at her expression. His laughter caught in his throat as he noticed that her bra had slipped down off of her breasts with the weight of the water. The fact that it was too small for her now hadn't helped either. She glanced down and went cherry red with embarassment. She looked at Daryl and saw that he had grown quiet. She started to brush past him to grab her shirt when he stopped her.

Turning her around, he unfastened her bra and tossed it onto the grass. Turning her back around he gripped her face and kissed her. She pressed against him and he groaned into her mouth. She pulled back slightly.

"What are we doing?" She whispered.

Daryl shrugged. "I ain't sure, jus' goin' with it." He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the dock and lifted her up on top of it. She crossed her arms over her chest even though she knew there wasn't likely to be anyone else around. He hoisted himself up after her and she laid down onto the wood as he leaned over her.

He suddenly looked unsure of himself and she leaned up on her elbows. "Are you okay?" She asked.

He sighed. "I ain't good at this stuff. Yer so beautiful and I'm so...fucked up." He replied.

Beth's heart ached for him. She held up her wrist to show him her scar from her suicide attempt. "We match." She whispered.

Something in his eyes flashed and he leaned down to kiss her again. He didn't make moves to touch her while he kissed her so she grabbed his hand and placed it on her breasts. He moved from her lips and his mouth replaced his hand on her nipple and she moaned lightly beneath him. His lips were so gentle, like nothing she had ever experienced before. He made his way down past her belly and down to her panties. He glanced up at her.

She nodded. "Please."

He hooked his thumbs into the sides and pulled them down her legs. He touched her with his finger lightly before pushing it inside of her. She jerked against him. He slowly caressed her until she was lifting her hips up to meet his hand. He pulled away and stripped out of his briefs. She gazed up at him through hooded eyes. Her body was on fire and he was gorgeous. He was also very aroused. She bit her lip as he came back down to join her.

"Maybe I should get somethin'..." He muttered.

She held back a smile. "Daryl I'm already pregnant. I don't think it matters." She whispered.

He was so adorable and it only made her want him that much more. "Right. This ain't gonna hurt the baby?" He asked worriedly.

"No, I think the baby will be fine." She was pretty sure anyway. She didn't know _that_ much about pregnancy.

Daryl was nervous. He didn't want her to know it, but he had never felt performance anxiety _ever_, until now. He was so hard he thought he might not last five seconds, let alone five _minutes._ He knew he was acting like a complete idiot but he was out of his element. He kissed her on her neck and ran his hand down her body. She shivered beneath him and she pressed her hips up to his. He hoped she wouldn't be able to tell that he was mostly winging it. He positioned himself over her and entered her slowly.

Beth gasped at the pleasure of it. He began a steady rhythm and she could feel her pleasure beginning to build. It felt better than she ever imagined. The dock rocked beneath there wait and it served to increase the pleasure between them. She looked up at his face and their eyes met. His expression was intense and he was biting his lip. She lost herself then, falling to pieces as Daryl groaned his own release and tried to keep from collapsing on top of her. He pulled out and rolled to the side, breathing hard. She rolled over and placed her head on his chest and she felt his arm go around her. She smiled.

"I hope that was okay." Daryl mumbled after a few minutes.

She leaned up on her elbow to look at his face. "Are you kidding? It was wonderful!"

Daryl snorted and she frowned. "Are ya serious?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. Why would I lie?"

Daryl sat up slowly. "I don't know. I jus' never put much thought into how much the woman was enjoyin' herself. Not that I didn't care or nothin', I jus' ain't never cared like this." He picked at a piece of wood with his fingers.

Beth's heart skipped a beat. She leaned over and kissed him softly. Her stomach grumbled loudly between them and she blushed.

Daryl laughed. "Hungry?"

She smiled sheepishly. "A little."

"Stay here. I'm gonna go check out this house and see what I can find ta eat. Don't leave this dock okay?" He asked.

Beth rolled her eyes. "Yes s_ir_." She said teasingly.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. "I mean it. I ain't chancin' nothin' happenin' to ya. You stay your ass on this dock or you'll regret it." He warned.

Beth smiled at his stern tone. Gone was the shy, sensitive, man of a few minutes ago. Now he was back to his normal self. She watched him grab his underwear and then wade back across the water to the bike. He dressed quickly and grabbed up his crossbow. With one last look in her direction, he took off for the house.

Beth stretched and reached for her bra and panties. Putting them back on, she lay back down to bask in the sun.

Five minutes later, she was asleep.

****AN: Yay! A long chapter! Sorry I didn't get it out yesterday like I originally planned. Still loving the reviews, keep them coming! I hope that everyone enjoyed their first time together. I thought I would try to make it special. ;) Thanks everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

****AN: Short chapter. I'll try to make it up later! The loads of reviews inspired me, what can I say? It's 1AM here and I'm writing fanfic, LOL. If there are errors, I apologize, as I said it's 1AM. See what you all do to me? :) **

Daryl approached the house cautiously. He circled the porch that wrapped the length of the house first, but found nothing. He slowly turned the knob for the front door and then swung it open slowly. He thrust his bow in front of him and proceeded inside. He scanned the room before him and then moved onto the kitchen. He stopped just outside the doorway as he heard shuffling. Narrowing his eyes, he peeked around the corner just until he saw the walker shuffling by the table. He pulled the trigger and the arrow sailed perfectly into the walker's head. He sweeped the room and then pulled his arrow back out before moving on.

The next two rooms proved empty and he made his way to the staircase. He eyed the top of the stairs and listened but couldn't hear anything. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and climbed the stairs one by one. At the top of the stairs he went to the left and swept through the first room without running into anything. The second and third were empty as well. He stopped at the last door and swung it open. There were three zombies crowded inside a small bathroom.

"What tha hell?" Daryl muttered.

He fired the first shot and it hit the walker in front and went so far through that it stabbed the walker immediately behind it in the eye. Daryl fired off one more arrow and sunk the last walker. He yanked those arrows back and went back down the stairs.

He rummaged through the cabinets in the kitchen and found nothing of interest. Walking into the pantry he let out a low whistle. "Damn, they was feedin' an army." He mumbled to himself.

There were five cans of Spam, six cans of soup, five cans of fruit, eight boxes of jello, and an assortment of vegetables and canned meats. Daryl looked around and finally spotted a burlap sack that he quickly threw the food into. It was a good day when you found that much food in one house. Feeling pretty good, he strolled out of the kitchen and through the living room to the front door. He paused and backtracked to the living room once more where he walked over to a coffee table in the corner. Nestled on top of various other pregnancy books, was a baby book. Daryl opened the book and found it surprisingly empty. That meant that the expectant mother was more than likely dead. He hesitated and then stuffed all of the books into the sack as well. They would just have to find room.

He walked back onto the porch and saw that Beth was still lying out in the sun. He relaxed a little and slung the sack onto his shoulder. He started to go back down the steps and then came to a halt, crouching down low. A small herd of maybe ten walkers appeared by his bike, coming from the field. He cursed and realized they must have heard him and Beth earlier. He snuck a glance at Beth and saw that she hadn't moved and he knew she must be asleep.

"At least she's safe." He muttered under his breath.

He continued to crouch as his mind worked up a solution to this problem.

...

Beth wasn't sure how long she had been asleep for. She knew it must not have been too long because the sun was still pretty high in the sky and Daryl hadn't returned from the house yet. She smiled to herself as she remembered there time on the dock. He was unlike Merle in so many ways. Sometimes it was hard to believe they were of the same blood. She rested her hand on her stomach and let her thoughts drift. She wondered how Daryl felt now that they had had sex? _Did he feel weird because she was carrying his brother's child?_ She made a note to ask him.

She heard footsteps in the grass and grinned as she rolled over. Her smile quickly faded as she soon realized there were walkers scattered all around her.

She was unarmed, and Daryl wasn't back.

...

Daryl knelt between the posts on the porch and fired off two headshots that hit their mark. He pulled out his knife and ran down near a tree where he took out another. _Three down, so far, so good. _He sheathed his knife and repositioned his bow. He figured he had close to enough arrows left to take out the rest but he wasn't sure. He sighted another and fired another shot. The fifth one went down fairly easy with a shot through the eye. He set the bow down and grabbed his knife again. He was confident he could take out the remaining five easily.

He waited until one walked past the tree he was hiding behind and stabbed it in the back of the head before it could react. He saw Beth stand out of the corner of his eye and he hoped she listened to his warning. He was distracted by her and didn't hear the walker that had come up behind him. It made a grab for him and he dropped his knife and kicked it in the stomach. Now the remaining three were making their way over and Daryl groaned.

"Fuckin' fantastic!" He cursed.

He heard the splash and his stomach dropped. He prayed that was a fallen walker and not Beth making that splash. _I'm gonna wring her neck if she gets outta that water._ Sure enough, he heard Beth shout and try to get the walkers attention. Daryl was alternating between two of them. He would kick one and then the other as he looked for his knife on the ground. Finally, he spotted it and ducked underneath a walker's grasp to grab it. Standing up, he thrust it through the chin into the brain. He pushed the walker onto the other one and snuck a quick glance at Beth. She had grabbed her knife from her clothes and she was circling the other walker.

"Dammit!" He muttered.

With a cry of rage, he slashed his knife into the other walker's belly and then jammed it into it's brain. He turned just in time to see Beth stab the last walker in the face with her knife and he jogged over to her.

...

Feeling proud of herself for helping out, she didn't notice Daryl's anger until he stopped at her side.

"What tha hell! I tell ya ta stay put, you stay put!" He yelled.

Beth put her hands on her hips. "I was just helpin' out." She said.

Daryl gave her a look. "Yeah? Well ya coulda got yerself killed! Ya ain't thinkin' for one now, ya thinkin' for two!"

"I realize that but it was only one walker!" Beth shouted.

"Get dressed, let's go." He demanded and without another word, he turned and went back for his crossbow and bolts.

She watched his angry stride and sighed. She rinsed her hands in the water and pulled on the rest of her clothes angrily. Once she was dressed, she looked to see him slinging a pack onto his shoulders and he came walking back with it and his crossbow. He walked around to his saddlebags and emptied most of the contents of the pack into them but it wouldn't all fit. He took out a can of fruit and tossed it to her.

"Here. Ya need ta eat somethin'." He said.

She caught the can just before it hit the ground. "Thanks." She mumbled.

Daryl nodded and adjusted the bags before standing back up. "Goin' ta take a piss. Stay _here_." He warned.

She nodded and pulled the top off of the can. She smirked. _Peaches?_

...

Daryl found a spot off to the side of the field where he could still keep Beth in his sights but have his privacy at the same time. He felt bad for yelling at her but she had scared him when she had barreled out of the water. With her being pregnant, she was in no condition to fight walkers and it had been unnecessary. He had had everything under control. He couldn't figure out why she saw the need to put herself at risk.

Finishing up, he glanced at the flowers in front of him. They were blue and he thought they would look nice in her hair. He leaned over and plucked a couple before walking back. She was sitting on the bike, scuffing her boot in the dirt when he walked back up. She looked so sad that he really did start to regret yelling at her. He hadn't meant to go off like that.

He walked over to stand in front of her but she didn't look up. He opened his hand under her face to reveal the two tiny blue flowers. Startled, she looked up at him.

He shrugged. "Truce?"

She smiled and reached for the flowers but he stopped her. He took his hand and tucked her hair behind her ear and then slid the two flowers into place. He leaned back to survey his work.

"Truce." Beth whispered and pulled him down to press a kiss to his cheek.

Daryl gave her half a smile and grabbed the helmet up for her to put on. Her hand touched his as she placed it onto her head. He picked up the pack that still held a few items.

"Mind if I put this on ya? It's got more food we could use." Daryl asked.

"Sure." Beth helped him situate it around her shoulders so that it would stay on the ride back.

He fired up the bike and fixed his bow to the side. He swung his leg over and tilted his head back to her.

"Ready ta go back?" He asked over the engine.

"Ready." Beth wrapped her arms around him and didn't want to let go.


	8. Chapter 8

The ride back to the prison seemed to go by fast, and before she realized it they were pulling up to the gate. Glenn ran out to the gate and pulled it open for them to drive inside. Beth had enjoyed her time with Daryl so much. She had snuggled against him the whole drive back and this time she hadn't felt him tense like before.

As they came to a stop by the bleachers and Daryl climbed off, she realized how tired she suddenly was. The day had really taken a lot out of her. She suspected that it was partly due to her pregnancy but she was still surprised. She felt like she could lay down and sleep for two days.

Daryl turned the bike off and reached around her to take the pack from her shoulders. She rubbed her shoulders gratefully. He placed the pack onto his shoulder and reached out a hand for her. She grabbed his hand and smiled at him. He gave her his trademark half-smile in return and her heart did another flop. As they turned to go in, Maggie and Michonne walked over.

"You're back! Finally. What's in the bag?" Maggie asked and looked over at Daryl.

"Food. Found a house that had a pretty good supply. Cleaned 'em out." He said and walked towards the building to search for Carol and give her the supplies.

"We're doing a perimeter walk to search for breaches." Maggie said.

Beth waited for them to say something about swimming but then she realized that her clothes were dry from the wind on the way home so they wouldn't know they went swimming. At least she hadn't thought they had but Maggie was staring at her thoughtfully.

"I'll get started on that and you can catch up in a minute." Michonne told Maggie. With a glance at the two of them, she walked off, katana swinging on her shoulder.

As soon as Michonne was out of earshot, Maggie grabbed her arm. "What happened out there?"

Beth was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play that card with me Beth. It may work on Daddy but you forget that I use the same tricks. You've got flowers in your hair! Did he do something to you?" Maggie whispered.

Beth narrowed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. The wind must have tangled them throughout her hair. "I'm a grown woman now and I think I can make my own decisions. _If_ something happened between us, it was mutual. Daryl is a perfect gentleman." Beth replied.

"Listen I understand you're still hurting over Merle and you're probably lonely. I get that, I really do. But do you really think you should jump into a relationship with Merle's brother?" Maggie gave her a concerned look.

"Maggie, I love you, but I really think that this is a decision that I need to make on my own. Regardless if anything is going on between Daryl and I, he's always going to be a part of this baby's life because it's Merles. I really wish people would let me grow up and stop questioning me." Beth muttered.

Beth turned and walked away leaving Maggie standing alone, lost in thought. She made her way inside to her cell and lay down on top of her bed. A few minutes later, she was asleep.

…..

Daryl knew he needed to talk to Beth. After what had happened between them, he wanted to make sure they were okay. He knew now that pregnant women were unpredictable and he didn't want this coming back to bite him in the ass later.

He went to his cell and put up his bow and random other gear then walked to the kitchen. Carol was starting on dinner and his stomach grumbled. Beth had eaten those peaches earlier, but he hadn't had a thing. Carol gave him a smile as he walked in and he nodded at her in response before sitting down. He was tired but it was a good tired. The day had gone smoothly for the most part and he felt relaxed.

Carol walked over to him and set a can of peaches down in front of him. He glanced up at her in surprise. "I didn't bring back no peaches." He said. He had given Beth the only can he had found inside the house. The rest had been various other fruits.

"I know. I saved this one back for you from before. I told you I would." She smiled.

Daryl looked at the can thoughtfully for a few minutes. He thought of how Beth had looked eating the peaches and how much she seemed to enjoy them. He gave the can back to Carol who looked surprised.

"Save 'em for Beth. She really enjoys them." He said.

Carol's eyes twinkled. "You're sweet on her." She mused.

Daryl gave her a look. "What?"

Carol sat down next to him and looked around for signs of the others. The coast was clear for now. "Beth. I can tell you feel something for her, and she for you. Why else would you offer to ride her on your bike?" She asked.

"I rode _you_ on my bike." Daryl pointed out.

"That's different. You and I are kindred spirits. We've got a friendship that will last a lifetime. You and Beth have chemistry."

Daryl snorted. "Got me all figured out, have ya?" He asked.

Carol laughed. "No. That would take more time than I have."

Daryl chuckled. Carol walked back over to the stove to finish dinner. Rick walked in and his eyes zoned in on Daryl. He walked over with his long stride.

"Can I speak to you a minute?" Rick asked.

Daryl looked up at him and wondered what was going on. He nodded and shrugged at Carol's curious glance on his way out of the door. As soon as they were outside and away from the others, Rick stopped.

"What's up?" Daryl asked.

Rick ran a hand through his hair. "A couple of the elderly people from the Woodbury group are sick."

Daryl knew that was a tricky situation because if someone was really badly sick, they could potentially die. If they _did_ die, the rest of the group was put at risk.

"A couple? Some kinda virus goin' round or somethin'?" Daryl said.

Rick shrugged. "I don't know. I sent Hershel to check them out. I'm waiting on him to report back to me. I know we can't afford to have them walking around so I'm going to wait until they're checked and then we will have to keep them locked up in their cell," Rick paused. "I'm worried about this potentially being caught by Beth."

"We got meds right? I mean she's young so she should be able ta pull through it." Daryl said.

"Not when she's pregnant. There are certain things pregnant women can and can't take. We may have to put Beth off to herself to keep the germs away until we figure out what's going on."

Daryl wasn't keen on that idea. "Where tha hell you movin' 'er to? She's pregnant! She can't be off to herself!" Daryl began to pace and he was getting frustrated.

Rick watched him pace for a minute. "What do you suggest we do? If she catches it, it could harm her or the baby."

Daryl stopped pacing. "Fine! We can move 'er but I'm goin' with 'er. She needs somebody around to protect 'er. "

"I'm not sure Hershel is going to go for that." Rick spoke in low tones.

Daryl knew that Rick was aware that there was something going on between the two of them but he had no idea what Hershel knew or _if_ he knew. Daryl chewed on his thumb a minute before responding.

"I don't trust no one else ta watch 'er." Daryl raised his voice a little and then lowered it as he saw a few people cast them curious glances.

"Alright. I'll talk to Hershel. We'll move her for a week or so until we see if this is just going to blow over. If Carol or Hershel need to check her, they can wear a mask over their nose and mouth to minimize her risk," Rick caught Daryl's eye. "You do realize that if she's already sick, we're going to have a problem, right?"

Daryl didn't miss the meaning behind that statement. If this was a virus and Beth was fixing to get sick, then she would be in danger. His throat tightened at the thought.

"She's been in 'er cell for the most part. We was gone all day today. Hopefully she ain't caught whatever it is they got." Daryl said.

He walked away and went in search of the girl in question.

…..

Daryl found her curled up on her bunk, her clothes and shoes still on. She looked so frail lying there and he stood there a minute just staring at her. He could feel himself becoming attached to her and her unborn baby. The need to protect them was intense and coursed through his blood. He knew it wasn't just the fact she was carrying his brother's baby. No, he was becoming attached to the kind of person she was. He had never paid her much attention before. Sure, he knew she was there, but he probably hadn't said more than a couple paragraphs to her since they had first found the farm.

He sat down on the edge of the bed. Beth jumped and sat up in the bed. She rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Its jus' me." Daryl said.

"Hey." She smiled at him. He didn't return the smile and she frowned. "Everything, okay?"

Daryl sighed. "Got a couple people sick from Woodbury. Yer dad is checkin' 'em now to see how bad. Rick is worried 'cause it's two people which could mean it's spreadin'. We might have ta move ya off to yourself."

Beth's eyes widened. "I might have to leave?" She asked.

"No! I mean, yeah. But I'm comin' with ya. Can't have ya sleepin' somewhere unprotected." He glanced down at the floor.

"I hope those people are okay. You don't think they will…"She trailed off.

Daryl raised a brow. "Die? Don't know. Rick says they elderly which means it's possible. We ain't got the proper care they need."

Beth sighed and raised her arms to stretch. She winced as her shoulder throbbed a little. She knew it was just sore from the ride home with the bag over her shoulder and she rubbed at it unconsciously. Daryl watched her rub her shoulder and felt bad about having her carry the bag on the return trip.

"I shouldn't have asked ya to carry that bag." He muttered.

"Who else was going to carry it? It's fine, really." Beth smiled at him to show him she was okay.

"Turn around." Daryl ordered.

"Daryl re-," Beth began but he cut her off with a look. She sighed and turned in the bed so that her back was to him.

His strong hands grasped her shoulders and then slowly he started kneading them with his fingers. Beth couldn't help herself, and a moan escaped her mouth before she realized it.

"You keep makin' them noises, we gon' have to find somewhere private." He whispered.

She shivered as his breath tickled her ear. He continued massaging and his hands were firm yet gentle. She closed her eyes and her whole body relaxed against him. The feel of his chest behind her was comforting in a way she had never thought and she found her eyes growing heavy again.

Daryl figured this was a good time to bring up what had happened while they had a few moments to themselves. He brushed her hair away from her nape and kneaded the soft flesh there as he felt her whole body go lax.

"I wanna talk to ya 'bout earlier. There's been some thangs on my mind." Daryl said. She didn't reply and he took that as encouragement to continue.

"I wanna know what you think o' me. I know my brother was important to ya, but I need to know where I stand." He waited.

She still didn't respond so he stopped massaging. "Beth?" He leaned back and her head fell against his shoulder. She was sleeping soundly. He smirked and turned her back around to lay her on the bed. He took off her boots and dragged the covers up to her chin. He gave her one last glance and left the room.

****AN: I was a little distracted today so if there are a few errors, I do apologize. I tried to go back over and make sure there weren't any but I'm only human. LOL, thanks as always for the reviews! I appreciate the guest reviews as well, even if I can't respond to them! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

****AN: It's a short chapter tonight everyone. It's after midnight and I'm definitely tired. I didn't want to write too much and take the chance on making a mistake so I kept it short and sweet. I plan on more tomorrow after I rest. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming! ;)**

"Absolutely not!"

Rick looked at Hershel and knew that this wouldn't be an easy persuasion. He wasn't really sure why he was on Daryl's side with this, it just happened that way.

Daryl walked over as soon as he spotted the two of them talking. As he got closer, he realized they seemed to be doing more arguing than talking. Hershel never held back with Rick. Daryl knew they had some kind of special bond going and he knew Rick really needed that. Daryl eyed Hershel warily.

Rick noticed Daryl approach and sighed. "Hershel doesn't think it's a good idea for you to go into another cell block with Beth alone."

Daryl stiffened in annoyance. "What ya think's goin' to happen? She definitely can't get pregnant again!"

"I won't have my pregnant daughter going off on her own with you. She's in a fragile state right now. I'm sure Glenn-" Hershel began.

"Glenn? Ya think he's gonna sleep away from Maggie? Don't be crazy ole' man! You just don't want ta take the chance that Beth might fall for me. My brother wasn't good enough and I ain't either, that what it is?" Daryl stepped nose to nose with Hershel.

Hershel narrowed his eyes then sighed. "Stand down. I have lots of respect for you Daryl. I had respect for your brother too, but I don't think this is a good idea. There has to be another way."

"Like what? We don't have lots of options. Most of the people here have been around the others. Daryl has been with Beth the most lately and she has been in her cell a lot. I think I'm going to have to agree with Daryl on this one." Rick tried to reason.

Daryl smirked and crossed his arms. He thought a lot of Hershel, but he didn't consider himself a bad man. He was certainly capable of watching after Beth without corrupting her.

_Any more than he already had anyway._

….

Beth watched Daryl bring the last of their stuff over to the cell block on the other side of the prison. It was the only cell block left and it felt like it was miles from all the others. To go outside they were going to have to use the door on their cell block. Beth didn't like it. It was too quiet.

She sighed as she sat cross-legged on her bunk. Daryl carted the last of their stuff inside and she watched as he threw his pillow and blanket on the top bunk.

She raised her brow at him. "You're sleeping in here?" She asked.

"Why not? Damn place is too quiet to sleep in another cell. Don't make sense ta use two. Unless it bothers ya?" He asked.

Beth felt herself grow warm. "No. No bother."

Beth watched him set his bow against the wall and then she watched in horror as he lit a cigarette. She stood up and marched over to him. She pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbed it out on the wall.

"What tha hell?" Daryl asked angrily.

She leaned into his face. "Don't you know smoke is not good for the baby?"

She watched as his features changed from anger to momentary confusion and then to smirking at her. She was getting mad now. "What," She bit out. "are you smirking at?"

"You. You so fired up like ya goin' to do some damage or somethin'."

Beth swatted at his arm. "That's not funny! I could take you if I wanted."

Daryl gave her a look. "Oh?"

Before she could figure out his intent, he grabbed her arms and pinned them to her side. Seconds later, his lips descended onto hers. She leaned into him and he let go of her arms to lift her up against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him like she couldn't get enough of him. Daryl groaned and pulled back. He was breathing hard and she licked her lips.

"We better stop." He murmured.

Beth looked at him in surprise. "You're kidding right?"

Daryl set her down gently. "Nah, I ain't kiddin'. We can't be goin' wild over here. Anyone can come over. Besides, we need ta talk."

Beth looked at him warily. "About what?"

…..

Daryl chewed on his thumb as he thought about a way to start the conversation. He didn't really know any other way except to just jump into it.

"What you think of me?" Daryl asked and then cursed himself for the way it sounded.

Beth looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean? I like you…" She replied.

"Yeah, but you liked Merle too an' I just wanna make sure ya ain't in this just 'cause ya lonely." Daryl said. He sat down on her bed and then immediately stood up and began to pace. She sat down and watched him for a moment.

"I mean, I'm all for sex. I get that part. I jus' don't wanna be… wanna be-" Daryl placed his hands on his hips in frustration.

Beth stood and walked over to him. She placed her hand on his arm. She waited until his eyes met hers before speaking. "You are _not_ a rebound guy. I feel something for you and I can see you feel something for me. Yes, I will always love your brother, but there's enough room in my heart to love you too." She whispered.

Daryl swallowed around a lump in his throat. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He searched her face and she seemed sincere so he would be content with that for now.

...

Later that evening, Carol walked over and gave them some food from dinner and a bag which she filled with more food and water. Daryl thanked her and took the plates in to where Beth was just changing into her pajamas. She quickly pulled the shirt down as he walked in but not before he got a glimpse of pale skin and rounded belly. He set all the food down and walked over to her.

"Yer gettin' bigger. Can I feel it?" He asked softly.

Beth blushed slightly and then pulled her shirt up over her small belly. It was indeed rounding out and he stared at it in awe for a few minutes. Very slowly, he reached out his hands and placed them around her belly.

He really hoped he would be able to feel the baby move but he felt nothing and he was slightly disappointed. She smiled at the expression on his face.

"I told you it's still too early to feel it move." She said.

Daryl slowly pulled his hands back and nodded. "It's jus' so hard to imagine a baby in there."

Beth laughed. "Wait until I get bigger. It won't be so hard then."

Daryl smiled and handed her a plate of food. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each of them just enjoying the food they had been given. He noticed Beth polished hers off rather quickly and he looked down at his remaining food. He passed it over to her.

"Here."

Beth looked at him in surprise. "You're finished?"

"Yeah, ya want it?" Daryl lied.

She slowly took it from him and then began to finish it off while he watched with a slightly amused expression. When she was done, she sat back with a contented sigh. She unconsciously rubbed a hand over her belly.

Daryl leaned back in his chair and watched her. "Ya thought of any names yet?" He asked.

Beth was quiet for a minute before responding. "Some. I haven't found any I'm crazy about yet though."

"It's gotta be somethin' good. Kids gonna be a Dixon so they gotta have a good name." He said.

"Maybe you can help me pick it." Beth commented.

Daryl raised a brow. "Me? I ain't no good at names. Look at Lil' Asskicker." He snorted.

Beth laughed softly. "Well, how am I supposed to know if it's worthy of the Dixon name then?" She teased.

Daryl scratched his head thoughtfully. "Alright. I'll think 'bout it and see what I can come up with."

She smiled. "I would like that very much."


	10. Chapter 10

****AN: Short fluffy chapter! Thanks for the reviews, appreciate them all! Hope you enjoy! :)**

Daryl was growing frustrated. He was bored and he felt like the walls were closing in on him. It was only day two of being stuck in another cellblock away from the others, but it felt like it had been weeks. He sighed and fiddled with his bow while sitting on the steps in the cellblock. He quickly grew bored of that and began tapping his feet. Beth came out of the cell and glanced at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothin'." He replied shortly.

Beth walked over to where he was and put her hand on his arm. "Are you sure?"

Daryl growled in frustration. "Tha walls is closin' in on me! I need ta get outta here!" He yelled.

Beth let go of his arm and took a step back. He was immediately sorry for yelling as he could tell he had hurt her feelings even though he wasn't sure how. He saw her eyes tear up and she quickly turned and went back into their cell.

Daryl sighed and got up from the steps. He walked over to the entrance to the cell and stood there for a moment. She was sitting and fiddling with the teddy bear he had brought her. He hesitated a moment before walking into the cell.

"You alright?" He asked carefully.

"I'm just fine." Beth said tearfully.

He took that as his cue that she was anything _but_ fine. He walked over and sat down next to her on the bunk. She didn't look up but he could see the tears fall off of the end of her nose.

"Ya sure don't look fine to me." He commented.

Beth sniffed. "I know it's boring here being stuck with me. I get that. I'm sorry." She mumbled.

Daryl was confused. He wasn't feeling _stuck_ with _her_, he just felt stuck in this part of the prison. He couldn't get out like before to wander the woods and hunt or just clear his head. He had fought to be here with her and keep an eye on her. He just hadn't anticipated exactly how hard that would be.

"It ain't you. It's these walls. Too damn quiet over here." He grumbled.

"I'm not getting on your nerves?" Beth asked.

Daryl gave her a crazy look. "Hell nah! You ain't botherin' me." He replied.

She grabbed his hand and he resisted the urge to pull back. He wasn't accustomed to people randomly grabbing anything on him and getting away with it. But Beth was different to him, and he was determined not to upset her again. He figured she was having one of those random pregnancy hormone moments. She traced her finger over and over his hand and he watched her curiously.

"You have lots of callouses." She remarked.

Daryl shrugged. "Happens. I use my hands a lot. Tha bow tends ta give 'em to me from time ta time too." She continued tracing her fingers lightly over them and Daryl could feel himself responding to her touch. She dropped his hand and turned to face him.

"I want to see your back." She said suddenly.

Daryl frowned. "I already showed ya once." He complained.

"I know, but it was dark." She protested.

He searched her eyes for a minute while he thought about it. Nobody was around and if he did it now, then maybe it would satisfy her curiosity once and for all.

He sighed. "Alright."

...

Beth watched as Daryl slid his vest off and she marveled at the way the muscles moved in his arms as he twisted. She noticed he was sitting stiffly and she knew this must be a stretch for him. She was honored that he even agreed in the first place.

"Well?" His voice cut through to her thoughts impatiently.

She smiled at him and crawled around behind him. She was glad he couldn't see the emotions cross her face as she stared at the faded and raised scars. She lightly ran her fingers down them one by one, tracing the shape of each one. She felt the pain he must have felt with each one that her fingers touched. There were a good many and her heart broke a little to think of the hard life he had led. She noticed that his breathing was shallow and she saw that he had his hands fisted into his shirt with his eyes closed.

She bent over slowly and pressed a kiss to each of his scars. He sucked in a breath at the feel of her lips on his skin.

"I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have done that." She said softly.

"If I ain't like it, you woulda known it. Skin's jus' tender is all." He said.

"There's so many," She breathed. "I can't even imagine."

"They're ugly. I don't like anyone ta see 'em. I don't need pity." He said.

She ran her hands over his whole back as they talked. "Did Merle have these?"

Daryl paused a moment. "He had a few. Merle's scars was on the inside where mines is on the outside. We done now?" Daryl asked gruffly.

She dropped her hand slowly. "Sure." She whispered.

...

Carol had sent over dinner that night and she reported that the people from Woodbury were not improving. Hershel wasn't sure what it was but he thought it might be some kind of respiratory virus. They had quarantined the people into separate cells and were locking the doors at night just in case. Being that the ones that were sick were elderly, Rick hadn't wanted to take any chances of any of them passing in the night.

Beth felt bad for the people even though she didn't know them. She was ready to get back with her family and now it appeared as if it was going to be a while before they would be able to go back to their usual cellblock. Not that she minded spending some alone time with Daryl, but she knew that he was ready to be back so that he could go about his usual routine as he pleased.

After dinner, Beth changed into her shirt and shorts while Daryl waited just outside the cell. She called to him when she was finished and he walked in as she climbed under the covers in her bunk. He turned out the lamp and started taking off his clothes. She could barely see anything except his shadow and she listened as he unzipped and pulled off his clothing. When he was done, she felt him begin his climb up to the top bunk and get situated.

"Goodnight." She called out.

"Night." He replied.

She rolled over and closed her eyes. She waited for sleep to overtake her but it never came. She rolled over to the other side and flung her leg out from beneath the covers. Still nothing. She was wide awake. She turned to her back to stare up at the bottom of his bunk.

"Ya goin' ta sleep or ya practicin' for tha Olympics?" He muttered.

"I can't sleep." She said.

"Try." Daryl mumbled.

"I _am_ trying." She rolled again.

Daryl sighed and moments later she felt the bunk shake lightly as he climbed down. He tossed his pillow next to hers. "Scoot over."

Beth rolled over so that he could climb underneath the covers with her. She lay their still for a few moments. She listened to his even breathing and wondered if he was asleep. She inched closer to him and casually draped a leg across his thigh. She gasped as she realized he didn't have on pants. She stuck her hand under the covers and felt the cotton of his boxer shorts.

"Ya tryin' ta feel me up?" He mumbled.

Beth jumped and her face grew red in the dark. "I thought you were naked. Is it okay for me to put my leg here?" She asked.

"It's fine. As long as it keeps ya quiet, ya can do whatever ya want." He muttered.

Beth smiled and laid her head upon his chest too. She instantly felt more comfortable and she yawned sleepily.

"That's better. Goodnight Daryl." She mumbled.

"Night." He replied.


	11. Chapter 11

Daryl woke up to a _very_ noticeable female body draped across him. Beth had apparently taken his "don't care" attitude to heart and she was making use of him as she would a pillow. He really had to make a trip to relieve himself but he wasn't ready to move just yet. He felt the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out and he realized that he was content to lay there. This surprised him as he wasn't accustomed to waking up with _anyone_, not even a woman. He felt her stir a few moments later and she yawned and stretched before shyly glancing up at him.

"Hey." She said sleepily.

"Hey yerself." He replied.

He wasn't sure what came over him and he leaned forward to kiss her softly. Her lips were soft and yielding underneath his and he found himself deepening the kiss. She moaned softly against his lips and when they pulled back she rested her head on his chest once again. His heart beat erratically.

"I gotta piss. Be right back." He mumbled. He stood up quickly and slipped on his clothes before making a dash to the outside. After a quick glance around, he began to relieve himself and he sighed. He didn't know what was wrong with him and why he was pursuing Beth. This wasn't like him. He didn't _pursue_ anyone. He liked the quiet and he didn't like any attachments. Except now the blonde haired girl waiting back in their cell was growing on him.

He finished his business and slipped back inside. He found her struggling into a shirt that had clearly become too tight. He watched as she squirmed to try and get it over her chest to no avail. He was becoming more and more amused as he watched her continue her struggle. He leaned against the bars and watched her without her even knowing it.

"Damn it." She muttered.

"Beth Greene, was that a cuss word I jus' heard ya mutter?" Daryl drawled.

Beth jumped and flashed him a look. "It won't fit!" She cried.

"So wear somethin' else." Daryl suggested.

"I don't _have _anything else." Beth said. She was clearly frustrated.

"Calm down. Here let's get it off of ya." He walked over to her and started pulling upward on the shirt but it wasn't budging. He frowned and tugged again. Still nothing. "What tha hell? How did ya even make it this far?" He muttered.

Beth tried to help but she wasn't really able to do much more than stand there with her arms raised. Her naked and slightly protruding belly kept brushing against his vest and he was trying to ignore it. He had never thought he would see the day when he would be trying to wrestle with a woman to get her shirt on.

Finally, he gave up and reached into his pocket for his knife. He flicked it open and as Beth watched him curiously, he proceeded to cut the shirt off of her.

….

Beth was embarrassed at having been caught trying to get into her shirt. Even worse was the fact that it had gotten so stuck that even Daryl couldn't get it off and he had to cut it. Once he had it removed, she stood there a bit self-consciously in just her bra and pants. Her pants wouldn't even button all of the way. She had tied a rubber band around the buttons to hold it together. She felt fat and almost close to tears at the way she must look to him. No way would he want to touch her anymore, not like this.

Surprisingly, he couldn't seem to tear his eyes off of her. She watched him study her and she began to relax a bit. He didn't look repulsed, just curious.

"Bet it's kinda weird ta have somethin' in there." Daryl commented.

"A little." Beth admitted. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?" He responded.

"Do you think it will be okay? I mean the whole giving birth and then afterwards? I mean, what if the baby isn't okay?" Every time she thought about it, she started worrying herself about what could go wrong.

Daryl focused on her face now. "Course it will. Yer pops is a good doctor. Him and Carol'll take care of ya. This babies a Dixon and Dixon's are tough."

She nodded and then threw her arms around his waist and hugged him. He seemed startled at first and then he lightly put his arms around her. Even though he didn't really return the hug, she was still happy that he made the effort.

She stepped back and awkwardly unsnapped her bra. Daryl's eyes widened but he remained still as a statue. She unhooked the rubber band from her pants and slid them down along with her panties. She stood before him naked and grabbed his hand to place it on her belly. She locked eyes with him.

"Promise me if something happens to me you'll take care of this baby." She said.

"Yeah." Daryl said thickly.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. He kissed her with all the emotion that he couldn't show. She returned his kiss and when he pulled back she grabbed the hem of his shirt. She tugged on it gently and he lifted his arms so she could pull it off. She unzipped his jeans and he took over to remove the rest of his clothing. She ran her hands over his shoulders and marveled at the tightness. She could see his pulse jumping at the base of his throat and she pressed a soft kiss there. He groaned and lifted her gently to place her on the bed. He trailed his hands down her body and over her belly.

"This what ya want?" He asked.

She nodded. She lifted her hips against him and she felt him shiver slightly. He dipped his head and put her breast into his mouth. She sighed in pleasure and, encouraged, he kept kissing her there. Her breasts had been tender lately and she felt herself growing hot just from the attention he was giving them. She moaned and lifted her hips as he continued his assault. She exploded into an orgasm a few minutes later and he hadn't even moved from her breasts. He looked at her in surprise.

"Wow." She mumbled.

Daryl was confused. "Uh, yeah. I ain't even barely touched ya."

"I don't know. They're really sensitive." She replied.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to pull him inside. He shrugged her off and moved on down her body. He slid his finger inside of her and realized she was already wet.

"Damn girl." He muttered.

He pulled his finger away to position himself over her and he entered her swiftly. She gasped and gripped his shoulders tightly. His face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

"I can't hold it." Daryl breathed.

Her hips rose to meet his three more times and then she felt that intense pulsing of pleasure from down below and seconds later Daryl joined her, his face buried in her neck.

…

Daryl had never experienced anything like what he had just felt for Beth. The first time had been good but this time had been even better. He pulled out of her and rolled to the side, afraid he might crush the baby. He tried to catch his breath. She lay quietly next to him and he wondered what she was thinking. It had made him feel good that she could get that kind of pleasure just by him touching her breasts. He glanced at her.

She was asleep.

"Damn woman sleeps more 'an a newborn." He muttered. He climbed across her to retrieve his clothing from the floor. He dressed quickly and then walked over to her to draw the blanket across her. She didn't awaken and she rolled over to hug a pillow much like she had hugged him last night. He gave her one last glance and went to sit on the steps and smoke.

….

Daryl had been smoking for about ten minutes when Carol showed up. He got up and let her inside quickly.

"Ya shouldn't be wanderin' tha halls by yerself." He said.

"Why? I've got my knife and besides, we've got the place pretty clear." Carol said.

"Still. Ain't smart."

Carol smiled. "How is she?"

Daryl gave a glance toward their cell and thought about Beth lying underneath the blankets naked. He turned back to Carol.

"She sure sleeps a lot." He commented.

Carol laughed. "She better get all she can before that baby gets here. Won't be much sleeping to be had once it's born." She walked over to the stairs with him and sat down.

"I guess. She's kinda crazy sometimes too. One minute she's happy, an' the next she jus' cries fer no reason!" It felt so good to get these things off his chest. He needed some insight into why Beth's moods had become so unpredictable.

Carol watched him with a smirk. "Her body is going through lots of changes Daryl. I assure you its normal. Most pregnant women are very emotional at least once throughout their pregnancy."

Daryl finished his cigarette and crossed his arms. "I don't remember Lori bein' like that. Well what am I s'posed ta do when _she_ gets like that?"

Carol shrugged. "Every woman's pregnancy is different. Just give her some space when she gets emotional. There's not much you can do. She'll get through it. Just don't make fun of her about it." Carol warned.

"I ain't gon' do nothin' like that. I ain't stupid. We in here by ourselves. I piss 'er off, she's liable to come at me with 'er knife."

Carol snickered. "You best keep that in mind too! Anyways, I came because I thought you might want a break. I can look after her if you want to disappear for a bit. Of course, you can't go to the other side but you can wander the yards."

Daryl thought about it. He hated to leave her so soon after what had just happened between them but he _did_ really want to get out. Maybe he would even go see if he could find something to hunt.

"Alright."

****AN: Thought you all might enjoy a little bit of humor with the situation! Daryl is going nuts with all these pregnancy hormones! Thanks for sticking with me and being faithful reviewers! Enjoy and review! Please and thank you! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

****AN: I finally got another chapter out here! Yay! Sorry it's taken me so long! I was a little stuck with where I wanted to go next with this but I think I've got a clearer picture now so hopefully the next chapters should come more easily. It's late here, so if there are any errors, I do apologize. I tried to reread it, but I'm quite tired. Thanks for all of the lovely reviews from everyone! I appreciate your time! Well, enjoy! :)**

Daryl stepped outside and took a deep breath of air. It felt so good to be outside for more than the few minutes he had been managing to grab at a time. He crossed over to walk the fence line and didn't even blink an eye at the few walkers that drew close to the fences. He was feeling pretty good and he spotted Glenn down by the gate so he headed over.

He didn't get too close before coming to a stop. Glenn was kneeling by the gate and he glanced over at Daryl.

"Whatcha doin' down here?" Daryl asked.

Glenn shrugged. "Maggie's in a mood. Came down here to pretend to fix something. I just needed to get away," He glanced up at Daryl. " But I'm sure you're feeling the same way over there."

Daryl snorted. "Ya have no idea. One minute she cries an' the next she laughs! I'm gettin' dizzy tryin' ta keep up."

Glenn smiled. "Here. Grab a tool." Glenn tossed him a wrench and Daryl crouched down next to him and tossed it around in his hands.

"So this is what ya do all day? All those times we thought ya was bein' useful, you was down here playin' pretend?" Daryl asked with a smirk.

Glenn cast him a sideways glance. "I don't pretend _all _ the time. Just when I need to get away."

Daryl set the wrench on the ground. "You got it good. At least Maggie ain't all pregnant and hormonal."

Glenn snorted and lifted his cap to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Have you _met_ Maggie?"

Daryl smiled. "I guess ya gotta point."

Glenn picked up the wrench that Daryl had set down. "Look, if you're looking for advice, all I can tell you is to stay away as much as possible and try not to piss her off. And if you can't stay away then kiss her until she forgets what she's mad about. That's what works for Maggie anyway. She can get kind of bossy. But don't you _dare_ repeat that." Glenn said.

Daryl held up his hands. "Ain't heard nothin'."

"Good. What are you going to do with your time?" Glenn asked.

Daryl sighed. "That's tha damn beauty of it. I don't know."

They both stood at the same time and Daryl stared out towards the woods through the fence. Glenn squinted back towards the prison.

"Well I guess I've killed enough time down here. I should probably head back up. See you." Glenn said and took off towards the prison, tools in hand.

Daryl watched him go for a moment and shook his head. He continued on his lazy walk around the fence, not in any particular hurry.

...

When Beth woke up some time later, she realized that she was naked. She wrapped the sheet around her and went in search of Daryl. As soon as she walked out of the cell though, she ran straight into Carol. She immediately felt her face redden as she realized how it must look.

"Hey Carol. Um, I was looking for Daryl." Beth murmured.

Carol smiled. "He's outside in the yard. Getting some air."

Beth stood there awkwardly for a moment. "I'm going to go change." She finally muttered.

She walked back into her cell only to come to the realization that she had nothing to change into. All of her shirts were the same as the other and Daryl had had to cut her out of the other. She definitely didn't want a repeat of that. She glanced around the room frantically. She definitely wasn't going to keep wearing this sheet. Her eyes landed on Daryl's clothes in the corner. She rummaged through them and selected one of the few shirts he owned that had sleeves. She pulled on her panties and selected a pair of thin yoga pants that she had stolen from Maggie. She let her hair hang long and ran a brush through it before finally walking back out. She found Carol wandering around the other cells.

"None of my shirts fit anymore." Beth said in response to Carol's glance at Daryl's shirt.

Carol looked away quickly but not before Beth saw something like jealousy flash across her face.

"Carol?" Beth touched her arm hesitantly.

"I'm alright." Carol gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You don't seem alright." Beth looked down at her feet and then back at Carol. "You still love him, don't you?" She whispered.

She saw Carol's eyes glisten. "I do." She turned to Beth quickly. "I don't blame you. I had come to terms that Daryl and I would never have a future long before you two became close. He just never looked at me that way." Carol shrugged and Beth could feel her pain.

"I'm sorry," Beth didn't know what else to say. "We aren't being very considerate."

Carol grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Honey, it's okay. I just want Daryl to be happy and if you're what makes him happy, then I'm happy. I'm sure there's someone out there for me." She smiled again.

Beth squeezed her hand back and smiled back but she wasn't entirely sure that Carol wasn't mad at her.

_Why had she never noticed this before?_

...

Daryl walked back into the cellblock some time later feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. He was happy. Being outside had been just what he needed. He walked in and saw Carol sitting over at the stairs where he had left her.

"Ya been here this whole time?" He asked with a frown.

"No. Not the whole time." Carol said.

"Beth still sleep?"

Carol shook her head and stood. "No. She's awake. I think she's waiting for you in your cell. I'm going to head back. I have to start dinner soon." She brushed past him to head out and he grabbed her arm.

"Hey." She turned to look at him. "You okay?" He asked with a concerned look.

She smiled at him. "I'm fine. I'll see that you get your dinner as soon as possible."

He watched as she exited the cellblock and he heard her footsteps echoing as she walked away. He glanced over at the cell he shared with Beth and walked over to look inside. She was sitting on the bed, playing with her teddy bear. She looked up as he stood in the doorway.

"Hey." He said carefully.

She put the bear down and stood up. "You could have told me that you were leaving me here with Carol. I woke up naked and went out in a sheet to look for you." She said angrily.

Daryl frowned. "Yer angry?" He asked.

His eyes moved to her shirt as she stood and he realized that she was wearing _his_ shirt. He also realized that it looked kind of cute on her. She had left her hair down too and it hung past her shoulders in a golden wave. She rarely wore her hair down.

She crossed her arms in front of her. "You could have warned me." She said instead.

Daryl nervously shifted his feet. He thought about what Glenn had said about kissing them if you couldn't get away from them. He crossed the room and tilted her head up. He lowered his lips to hers. At first, she barely responded and then she slowly started kissing him back. Her arms went around his waist and he pulled her tighter as he deepened the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers. She hooked her fingers on the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm not trying to push you away." She kissed his forehead softly and Daryl knew then that he owed Glenn big time. His trick had worked.

_I'll be damned._

The next time they went on a run, Daryl was finding the kid the biggest box of condoms he could.


	13. Chapter 13

Their week of isolation was nearing an end and Carol had come by twice to inform them that three people were sick so far and one had died. One of the elderly men from Woodbury had died in the night and luckily the person watching them had caught it in enough time to have him carried out and shot. They were sitting around and waiting to hear back from the group with further instructions on whether or not they would get to go back in a couple of days or if they should wait longer. It wasn't looking promising.

Beth wasn't ready to go back. She missed the company of the others, but she was thoroughly enjoying having Daryl to herself and being able to sleep in the same room with him. They had bonded a lot being alone together and even though he was moody at times from being cooped inside, she was falling more in love with him everyday. She wanted to tell him how she felt but she was worried she would scare him away if she said it too soon.

They were laying in their bunks now and it was dark out. She was listening to the now familiar creaks from inside the prison and thinking about how creepy it was with it being so quiet. Daryl hadn't said anything in a bit and she wondered if he was asleep. She didn't hear his usual heavy breathing.

"You think there are any ghosts in here?" She asked softly.

There was silence for such a long period of time that Beth thought she might be wrong and that he actually _was_ asleep. Then she felt the mattress shift above her slightly.

"What kinda nonsense is that?" He asked gruffly.

"I don't know. Just thinking I guess."

He snorted. "You think some weird shit."

"That's not funny!" She said even as she smiled in the darkness.

"Sure it is. It ain't them dead people ya need ta watch out for. It's the ones outside them fences that'll hurt ya. These here, they jus' stuck in a neverendin' movie, doomed ta play tha same role over and over again." He said.

She thought about that for a few minutes and surprisingly she did feel better about it. She was quiet for a bit, but as usual she couldn't get comfortable.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

She heard him sigh. "Yeah, I'm comin'." He said and a few seconds later she felt the beds shake as he climbed down with his pillow. "Move yer ass over." He said and she scooted over to make room for him.

As soon as he got situated, she flung her arm across him and laid her head on his chest. She sighed and moved to twine her leg around him too. She stiffened as she encountered his blatantly obvious erection. She lifted her head to look at him.

"Daryl!" She chided.

She could feel his eyes on her. "Can't help it when ya drape yerself all on me like that." He said.

She began to withdraw her leg and his hand shot out to grab her thigh. He let it go and then ran his hand up her leg slowly. She turned her face up to his and in the dark, she found his lips. They kissed lazily for a few minutes and then the kiss grew deeper as she tangled her fingers in his hair. When they pulled apart a few minutes later, she smiled and laid her head upon his chest.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

"Hmm?"

"What did you want to be when you grew up?"

He snorted and she felt him shift to look at her. "What?"

She leaned up on one elbow and looked towards him even though she couldn't see him. "I'm just wondering what you were like...before, you know."

Daryl sighed. "I wanted ta be a game warden."

"Really?"

"It's stupid," He scoffed. "I don't know why I told ya that."

"I don't think it's stupid. I think it's nice." She said as she laid her head on his chest again.

He was quiet for a few minutes before speaking again. "Merle wanted ta be a lawyer once." He chuckled.

Beth snickered. "_Merle?_"

"Yeah. He figured it would be cheaper ta be one than ta have ta hire one every time he got in trouble. He got pretty good at comin' up with 'scuses ta get him outta things. He was smarter than lots a people gave him credit for."

Beth smiled at the image of Merle as a lawyer in her head. She couldn't picture it. It just wasn't who Merle was. Suddenly she realized that they were sitting here talking about Merle and she wasn't getting all weepy.

"I-" She was suddenly cut off by a piercing scream. Beside her she felt Daryl stiffen, and then he jumped up from the cot and grabbed his crossbow from it's post at the end of the bed.

"Daryl?" She whispered. She was frightened. Everyone here knew better than to scream. Screaming brought walkers. No one would scream unless it was life or death.

"Stay here." He whispered firmly. She lit the lamp and watched as he grabbed his boots and shoved them on his feet. He picked up a flashlight from the bedside table.

She stood up to protest and then they heard the screaming again. Only this time it was a different voice they heard. Beth gasped in horror. She couldn't tell who was doing the screaming but she knew it couldn't be good, whoever it was.

"Fuck." Daryl cursed. He walked out of the cell to the outer door that led to the other cell blocks.

"I'm coming with you." Beth said as she grabbed up a pair of pants. She was still wearing his shirt from earlier.

Daryl whipped around on her and grabbed her arms. "No. You stay here til I come back, got me? No games." He said roughly.

"Daryl-"

"Yer pregnant. Think about the baby!" He cried.

She kissed his cheek quickly and gave him a small shove towards the door. "Please come back and be careful." She pleaded as he opened the big door to proceed down the hallway.

He nodded once as his eyes drifted over her and then he was gone, his flashlight casting beacons of light down the hallway. She closed the door and stood there watching until the light disappeared around a corner. She felt utterly useless and cut off from everyone else. If she wasn't pregnant, she could be out there helping. She should be out there anyway, pregnant or not, but she knew she couldn't risk it. It would be selfish of her to put this baby at risk. She tried to assure herself that it was probably just a big misunderstanding of some sort. But she knew she was just kidding herself and that there were walkers inside somewhere. She walked back into her cell and grabbed her knife. She stuck it into her pocket just in case and went to sit on the steps that faced the doorway. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to her group, especially Daryl. He had come to mean so much to her these past weeks. She tried to think positively but it was hard when she had nothing to occupy her mind. She tried pacing back and forth and she instinctively placed a hand over her belly.

"It's okay little one, they are a strong group. They'll be okay." She whispered to her belly.

She could hear lots of commotion but she heard no more screaming and in this world, that could either be good or bad. She rubbed her temples as she waited.

Then she heard the gun shots.

****AN: I know, I know, it's short! Don't hate me for the cliffhangers! I truly don't intend to end the chapters that way but sometimes my brain deems it necessary. I don't always start the chapters knowing what is going to happen and a lot of times I'm just as surprised as all of you. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Just a warning, this may go on a bit longer, but it will be coming to an end soon. I didn't plan on this being a long story and it's going a little further than I intended. If anyone has any ideas on what they would like to see happen, just message me! I'm open to suggestions and as always reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you all, you all are wonderful! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

****AN: It's another short one! I apologize. Sometimes my brain just doesn't want to cooperate. Thanks for hanging in there with me! You all are great reviewers! Enjoy! :)**

Daryl used his flashlight to see to aim and shoot down a walker. As he stepped around the fallen body he realized that he recognized them as one of the people from Woodbury. He rounded the corner of the jail and entered the other cellblock to find it appearing mostly empty. He spotted Glenn running past him and he caught his arm.

"What's goin' on?" He asked.

Glenn took a deep breath and wiped a speck of blood off of his forehead. "One of the Woodbury people that were sick, they died. The person that was supposed to be watching them wasn't doing their job and they turned. It started a chain reaction." Glenn said.

"Shit." Daryl muttered. "Is everyone okay?"

Glenn shook his head. "I don't know. It was utter chaos man. I think we've got it pretty much under control now but someone fired a couple of shots. I don't know who."

Daryl turned his attention from Glenn who trotted off, and walked past some of the cell doors. He spotted Maggie and Carol fluttering around someone who was lying on the floor of the kitchen area. Daryl's heartbeat increased as he picked up speed and jogged over to them. He stopped dead in his tracks at the body that was lying on the floor next to the two women.

"Hershel?" Daryl whispered.

Maggie was holding his hand while sobbing and Carol looked up at Daryl with tear filled eyes. "We couldn't save him. He was going to check on the sick when he got caught in the middle of everything." Carol said softly.

Daryl swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked at the older man. His throat had been ripped apart and his eyes were closed. "Is he-?" Daryl asked.

Carol glanced at Maggie who hadn't looked away from Hershal and nodded softly. Daryl squeezed Carol's shoulder. "I'm gonna go check on tha others. Are ya gonna be alright?"

Carol caught his meaning and nodded towards her gun that was lying next to them. Daryl gave them one last glance before heading off towards the other cellblock. His thoughts drifted to Beth and then to the baby. He tried to shake his thoughts and concentrate on finding the rest of the group, but it was harder than he thought.

He entered the other cellblock and ran into Rick and most of the others. Rick walked over as soon as he saw him enter. Daryl noticed he was covered in blood and he didn't look well.

"I'm glad you're here. I think we've got all of the walkers taken care of, but we'll need help getting the bodies out." Rick said.

"It looks like a fuckin' slaughterhouse in here." Daryl said.

There was blood everywhere. There hadn't been many Woodbury people left, but you couldn't tell by all the blood. Rick followed his gaze.

"We lost Hershel." Rick said softly.

"I ran into Maggie and Carol on tha way here. Shit man, this is bad. I can't believe this happened." Daryl said. He eyed Rick. "You gon' be alright?" He knew how much Rick valued Hershel's advice and company. He really hoped that this wouldn't set him back again.

Rick sniffed and nodded. "I'm hanging in there." Daryl gave him one last long look and went to help the others remove the bodies to be burned. As he was helping Michonne drag a body out, he heard the shot echo from down the hall. He exchanged a glance with Michonne and they both knew that Hershel had turned.

...

Beth paced back and forth in her cellblock worriedly. She kept stealing glances toward the doorway hoping for Daryl to appear. She was going crazy with worry. She didn't like being stuck over here by herself and even more so without knowing anything. It had been a while since Daryl had left to go see what was going on and she figured he should have been back by now. The fact that he wasn'y didn't sit well with her.

She had heard one last gunshot a while back and her stomach had churned and she had been sick. She had thrown up all of her dinner and probably all that she had eaten all day. She was tired and her feet hurt but she continued to pace. It was dark over on this side with the lamp on the stairs and the one in their cell providing the only light. She absentmindedly rubbed her belly and willed herself to remain calm. More than likely, another Woodbury resident had passed and they had had to put them down. At least, that's what she kept telling herself to make herself feel better.

She almost cried with relief when the door to the cellblock opened and Daryl walked in. She ran over to him and put her arms around him. She pressed her lips to his cheek and pulled back to look at him. He looked exhausted and he had blood stains on his clothes and hands.

"What happened?" She whispered.

"One o' them folks from Woodbury passed. Turned and managed to attack someone." He said wearily.

He didn't have to explain further. They all knew what that meant. She followed him into the cell as he began changing his clothes. She noticed that he wasn't looking her in the face and she began to worry.

"Daryl?" She asked.

...

Daryl swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to figure out a way to tell her about Hershel. He really didn't want to tell her. He wasn't good at this sort of thing and he knew she would be devastated. He wished he had brought one of the group back with him to tell her, but they had all been too exhausted from the night's activites to do more than stumble to their respective cells.

It had taken them a while to rid the prison of all the bodies. They had stacked them up behind the prison to be disposed of in the morning. The cell block had looked like a bloody massacre and no one had wanted to linger and try to clean it. They had taken Hershel outside and covered him with a sheet until morning when they would have a proper burial. It all felt surreal to Daryl, like some dream that he would awaken from soon.

He was worried about Beth and the baby. _What if something happened to them now? What if there were complications during the delivery? _He was driving himself slowly insane with what ifs. He could feel her watching him and he struggled with what to say. He wiped his face off with a towel and changed into a shirt that smelled fairly decent before turning back to her.

The way she was looking at him made him want to run away. He sighed and forced himself to sit down on the bed to remove his boots. She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and a worried look on her face. "One of the group didn't make it." He said carefully.

She immediately dropped her hands and her face went a little pale. "Who?" She whispered.

Daryl wished like hell he could bring Hershel back at that moment. This wasn't going to be good. He expelled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Yer Dad." He said softly.

He watched her face change from worry to disbelief. She stood there so still and calm that he stood up and grabbed her arm in alarm. "Beth?" He asked.

Then he noticed the tears streaming down her face. "No. No, no, no. Please no." She began to whisper.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close as she tried to push him away. He was stronger and he wouldn't let go so she finally gave up and collapsed in his arms, sobbing loudly. He didn't know what to say to comfort her because he didn't think he had ever comforted anyone in his life. He lifted her onto the bed and crawled in behind her under the covers. They didn't speak, he just simply held her until she finally cried herself to sleep. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about what the future held for Beth and the baby now that Hershel was gone. It was going to be a long night.


	15. Chapter 15

Daryl didn't get much sleep at all. Beth had woken him up multiple times with her crying and each time he had held her until she had fallen back asleep. Now it was morning and the sun coming in through the barred windows of the prison told him that the others would be going outside to do clean up soon. He was going out to help. He also figured that now would be a good time to get all their stuff moved back in with the others. The threat of sickness was surely gone now.

He was relieved that Beth was sleeping momentarily. He slipped his arm out from under her head gently and slipped on his pants just as he heard the outer door open. He popped his head out to see Maggie standing there awkwardly. Daryl had never seen Maggie look as awful as she did at that moment. One glance and he knew that neither she nor Glenn had gotten any sleep last night either.

Her eyes were bloodshot as they met his. "Is Beth up?" She asked softly.

He shook his head. "Nah. She's been in and out. I was jus' goin' to help tha others. Why don't ya go on in?" He tilted his head back towards Beth's sleeping form on the bed behind him. He grabbed his boots and went to the stairs to put them on as she walked past him into the cell. He picked up his crossbow and gave one last glance at them before he left. He saw Maggie crawl into bed with Beth and he let out a deep breath as he let himself out.

He walked down the hallway and found the others in the kitchen drinking cofee. They all looked as rough as he felt. He sat down at the table and a few seconds later, a steaming cup of coffee placed itself before him. He looked up and Carol gave him a small smile and squeezed his shoulder. A few minutes later, she returned with her own cup and sat down next to him. It was agonizingly quiet at the table and Daryl searched for something to say.

Rick was the first to speak. "How is she?" He asked Daryl.

Daryl sipped his coffee and felt himself start to waken up a little. "Ain't too good. Been a long night." He replied.

Rick nodded his understanding and went back to his own coffee.

"You don't have to worry Daryl. He taught me a lot. I think we'll be okay. I've got some books I've been studying." Carol said from her spot next to him.

"Hershel was a good man. I hate to see him go." Tyreese said.

"Yeah, he was probably the oldest guy to survive the apocalypse on one leg." Glenn said. The others all smiled and a couple people chuckled at that.

"It's going to be hard to adjust without having him here." Rick said.

Daryl kept silent and listened to the others reminisce about Hershel. His thoughts kept drifting back to Beth and the baby. He hadn't realized just how much he was actually looking forward to this baby. The odds weren't great when they _had_ Hershel and now Hershel was gone. What kind of odds did that leave?

...

Beth woke up groggily and rolled over to cuddle against Daryl. Only the body that was sprawled next to her wasn't Daryl. It was Maggie and then Beth remembered.

Their daddy was gone.

He had survived the apocalypse through the farm, and through losing a leg to die from a walker in the middle of the night in a prison. It just wasn't fair. Maggie mumbled in her sleep and Beth studied her sister.

You could tell she had been crying and Beth wondered how long she had been in here. She remembered going to sleep at some point in the night but she didn't remember Daryl leaving her at any point. She lay back on the pillows, but no more tears came. She stared numbly at the bottom of the top bunk and wondered what she should do now. Last night she had dreamed that the baby had died and had ripped her apart. It wasn't a very pleasant dream and she was glad that she had woken up from it.

Maggie stirred next to her and Beth turned her head to meet her eyes. Maggie's eyes were red and Beth figured hers were probably the same way. She wondered if Maggie had been there with their daddy and then she figured she probably had. She wished she had been there to say goodbye. She still hadn't gotten the full story of what happened from Daryl.

Maggie sniffed and pulled Beth close for a hug. Beth curled into her big sister's arms and sighed. "All we have left is each other." Maggie whispered.

"We have Glenn and Daryl. The group." Beth said softly.

Maggie shook her head. "I mean our family before. We're it. I can't believe he's gone." Maggie's voice broke on a sob and Beth felt the tears run down her cheeks in response.

They clung to each other and cried, each seeking out comfort from the other.

...

Daryl helped Tyreese and Glenn toss the last of the bodies into a pile. There had been too many to bury so they had come to a decision to burn them. Hershel's body still sat where they had left it the night before, but Rick was working on digging out a spot for it to be buried with Michonne. Daryl wiped at the sweat that had formed on his brow. Flies had already started to gather by the bodies and he knew that once they were done with these, they would need to get the girls out so that they could have a service for Hershel.

Daryl still felt numb about the whole situation. He was absolutely terrified now that Hershel was gone that something would happen to Beth. _What if she lost the baby, or worse, what if it killed her?_ He was so focused on these thoughts that he didn't even hear Tyreese talking to him.

"Daryl?" Tyreese asked.

Daryl squinted his eyes at him. "Sorry. I was distracted."

"That's okay. Are you feeling alright?" Tyreese asked.

Daryl lit a cigarette before shrugging. "As good as can be expected I guess."

Tyreese nodded in understanding. He leaned against the side of one of the buildings. Glenn had walked off to go finish helping Rick and Michonne. All that was left to do here was to set them on fire and watch them burn. It was amazing the things you could get used to these days. Daryl would have never thought himself capable of setting a human body on fire before, not even a dead one.

He hadn't seen Beth all morning since he had left when Maggie had come in. If he was honest with himself, he was scared to see her. He didn't know what kind of shape she would be in emotionally. He didn't know how much of the emotional stuff he could handle. At least they would be moving back over to the cell block with the others and they wouldn't be over there all alone anymore. The others would be able to help him.

He sighed and looked off towards the woods as he finished his cigarette. He really wanted to hunt. He needed to get out and feel the open air around him. He needed time to process this and what it all meant. He suddenly didn't want to be here for Hershel's burial. The urge to leave was strong and he turned towards Tyreese.

"Hey man, you got this? I got somethin' I need ta take care of." Daryl asked him.

Tyreese looked at him curiously but nodded. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

Daryl tipped his head at him as he put out his cigarette. He walked over to the picnic table to grab his bow up and strap it on. He passed by Carol and Carl who were carrying something inside and Carol gave him a curious stare but kept going. He crossed over to where Rick, Michonne, and Glenn were finishing with the hole for Hershel. Daryl tried not to think about it as he walked up to them.

"Tyreese is supervising the burn. I gotta get outta here man." Daryl told Rick. Rick looked up at him and Daryl actually felt sorry for the guy. He looked like he hadn't closed his eyes once all night.

"Where you goin'?" Rick asked.

Daryl shifted his stance awkwardly. "Goin' ta see what I can scrounge up fer dinner. I'll be back in a bit." He didn't wait for confirmation; he just walked away.

A few minutes later, he heard soft steps behind him and realized that Michonne was behind him. He turned around suddenly. "What?" He demanded.

"I'm coming too if that's alright."

"Don't need no babysitter." Daryl growled.

"I'm not babysitting you Dixon. I need some air too. If you'd rather, I can go the opposite direction outside the gates but the way I figure, we might can catch more together." She shrugged and met his gaze cooly.

He sighed and finally relented. "Fine. Ain't up for no chit chat though."

"Me either."

...

Daryl moved silently through the woods looking for game. Or at least he _appeared_ to be looking. His mind was elsewhere and he couldn't seem to focus on anything. He had two squirrels on his belt and they had been out here for a while. At least Michonne had been honest about not talking. She hadn't said a word, just followed behind him so silently that he glanced back every once and a while just to make sure she was still there. He knew he had missed several opportunities to kill some animals, but she hadn't said anything. He noticed she hadn't tried to kill anything either but then again, it was hard to kill a squirrel with a katana no matter how good you were.

He sighed as he realized he had just taken them in a circle. Frustrated, he kicked at a log on the ground with the toe of his boot. "This is stupid." He finally muttered.

He could feel her standing next to him. "It's perfectly normal." She said.

"What is?" He asked.

"What you're feeling. It's normal." She replied.

He looked out towards the woods. "How would you know?"

She was quiet for so long that he thought she might not have heard him. "I've lost my share of people too." She didn't elaborate further and he didn't press.

"What tha hell happens now? I mean, the only doctor we had is gone. Granted, he was only a vet but he was the only hope we had. Now we ain't got nothin'! To top it off, he jus' happened to be her daddy! So what am I s'posed to do?" He said angrily.

He finally turned towards her and she regarded him silently for a few minutes. "You keep going as you were for Beth. You be strong for her, that's what she needs from you. Hershel taught Carol a lot while you two were in the other block. I don't think your odds are any greater or less now than they were before." Michonne said quietly.

Daryl mulled over her words. Maybe she had a point. He really hoped Carol _had_ learned a lot like they kept telling him. He still didn't know how he was going to pull her through this. He sighed and looked back off towards the woods. He spotted movement and he squinted as he saw a rabbit hopping over a branch not far away. He raised his bow and focused his sights on it. He was rewarded for his efforts when the arrow shot clean through the rabbit's torso. He let out a deep breath and thought that just maybe, everything might be okay after all.

****AN: Sorry about killing off Hershel. I know many of you weren't expecting that and to be honest, I wasn't either. It just kind of happened. I figured it was time for a little excitement. I'm not going to dwell too much on Maggie and Beth's grief in this story like I did in my other fic but of course they are grieving. We're getting closer to the end of this fic and I'm doing my best not to rush it. Don't worry, there will be other fics of course! ;) As always, I appreciate you all for reviewing and a big shout out to Fremione-lover16 and Punkrockerbabe95 who review every chapter faithfully, you two are amazing! I haven't forgotten about the rest of you either! To all my new reviewers and the ones who pop in every once in a while, you are very much appreciated! It's nice to hear everyone's thoughts! Since I posted this one so early, I may get a chapter out for another fic later, so keep your eyes peeled! Enjoy! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

****AN: It's a short chapter and for that I apologize. I've been spending some time on getting my new story going, but I'm not abandoning any of these. For those of you who are reading _A Means to an End_, it may be a while before I get another update out. The muse is quite stuck on that one at the moment. I will get back to it as soon as I figure some things out. I've been chipping away at it, little by little! Back to our story here... I think the next chapter might have a bit of a time jump just so we can see how Beth's pregnancy is progressing. Like I said before, it will be coming to an end soon. Not yet, but soon. It's went on a little longer than I originally had planned. I appreciate all of the responses I have been getting, you've all been the most wonderful group of reviewers! I'm going to miss this story! Enjoy!**

**...**

By the time Dary and Michonne headed back towards the prison, it was growing dark. Daryl had two rabbits and a few squirrels. Michonne didn't have anything and he started to think she only came to keep an eye on him. She was a strange woman and Daryl couldn't quite figure her out. She hadn't said anything else to him and he wasn't in the mood for conversation so he was glad.

They crossed out of the woods and Carl came running down to open the gate when he saw them. Daryl eyed him as they walked inside. Carl looked like he had been waiting out here awhile for them to return and that made Daryl nervous.

"Everythin' alright?" He asked.

"Beth's been asking for you. We've got your stuff moved back." Carl said.

Michonne grabbed the squirrel's from him and handed them to Carl. Then she picked up the two rabbits. "We'll take care of these. Go see to her." She said and walked off with Carl.

Daryl watched them for a moment before shaking his head and continuing towards the prison. He found Beth in her old cell, lying on the bed. He didn't miss the fact that all of his stuff was in there with hers either. Not that he minded. He supposed that now with Hershel gone, it wouldn't really make a difference if he bunked with her or not. Everyone already knew that they were more than just friends by now.

He hovered in the doorway and studied her. Her face still looked tired and red, but she didn't look quite as bad as when he had last seen her that morning. She was laying on the bottom bunk, writing in a little book that he had never seen before. She must have felt his presence because she finally looked up and their eyes met. Her eyes trailed over him before she finally spoke.

"Where were you today?" She asked softly.

He set his crossbow down and walked into the room to sit on the edge of the bed. "I went huntin'."

"Oh. I thought you might be there earlier...when...you know." She sighed.

Daryl looked away to stare at the wall. "I couldn't do it. I ain't one for funerals."

Beth grabbed his hand and he turned his eyes back to her once more. "I understand." She looked back down at her book and he couldn't help but feel he had let her down somehow.

"I shoulda stayed." He said suddenly.

Her eyes flew back up to meet his. "It's okay. I know you needed to get away."

He looked down at his boots and picked at the dirt that caked them. "It's not just that. I kinda feel like I let everyone down. I shoulda been here. I coulda helped out. Now you lost yer pops and you got a baby comin'."

She leaned forward suddenly. "No. _We_ have a baby coming. I need you Daryl. I can't do this alone. I don't w_ant_ to do this alone." She said.

...

She stared at Daryl for a long time until he finally nodded and she let out a deep breath. She felt numb. She and Maggie had spent most of the day grieving before finally joining the others. The men had moved all of her and Daryl's stuff back and Beth was glad to finally be back with the others. She just wasn't glad it happened under these circumstances. She hadn't even told them where to put Daryl's stuff, it had just appeared next to hers in the cell. Not that she minded, she wanted Daryl close by. She had gotten used to being with him, especially at night when she couldn't sleep. He always made her feel better.

Daryl nodded towards her book. "What ya writin'?" He asked.

Beth glanced back at the book and picked it up. Carol had given it to her and she had been writing in it for a good bit. "I'm making a baby book." She said softly. She handed it to Daryl and he flipped through the pages, scanning them.

"Baby names?" He asked.

She nodded. "I wanted to have some ready for when the baby comes. I wanted it to be something good. Something strong."

Daryl stared at the page of names for a few minutes before putting the book back down. "I gotta go help Michonne and Carl clean them animals I shot." He said gruffly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek swiftly before walking out.

She stared after him. She wondered what he was thinking now. She knew that he wasn't acting like his usual self and it worried her. She didn't know how to approach him about it. She sighed and drew her knees up to her chest as far as they would go.

"Hey. I saw Daryl leave. Is everything okay?" Carol asked from the doorway.

Carol had been hovering nearby to her and Maggie all day but especially to her. She was very grateful that Carol no longer seemed upset about her and Daryl being together.

"I don't know. He saw my list of baby names and I think it freaked him out a little. What am I going to do if something happens, Carol?" She mumbled. She felt her eyes start to tear up and her hands shook slightly.

Carol's expression grew concerned and she crossed over to pull her into her arms. She felt Carol's hands brush her hair back from her face and she rubbed her back soothingly. She cried for a few minutes and then pulled back and sniffled.

"It's going to be hard honey. Suffering a loss while pregnant is going to wreak havoc on your emotions, but it will get better. As for the baby, all we can do is pray that everything turns out okay. I'm studying as much as I can and I don't plan on leaving your sight much for the next six or seven months. In fact, you'll probably be sick of me before it's all said and done." Carol smiled.

Beth felt herself smile a little in return. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself. She was feeling a little better and she rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. "You think Daryl is regretting agreeing to help me with this baby?" She whispered.

"Daryl wouldn't ever abandon you Beth. This baby is a Dixon and I truly believe he will stick by you as long as you want him to. Where are all these concerns coming from?"

Beth shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes I just feel like I'm overwhelming him is all. This baby isn't even his." She stared down at the hand she had laying across her stomach.

Carol squeezed her hand. "You know that doesn't matter to Daryl. Of course he's overwhelmed, he's Daryl," Carol chuckled. "He doesn't deal with emotions well, you know that by now. I can try to talk to him if you want?"

Beth didn't know what to do. Her emotions were all over the place. She really just wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep this all away like a bad dream but she knew that wouldn't change anything. She stared off at the wall of the cell as if all of the answers would appear before her like magic. Unfortunately, life just didn't work that way.

She just hoped that Carol was right and that Daryl wouldn't give up on her. She really did love him.


	17. Chapter 17

****AN: I made it back! I know you all thought I had given up, but I haven't! I just haven't been feeling the story as much as I used to, but I'm seeing it through to the end! I know it's a short chapter and I feel like I'm saying that a lot lately but at least it's something, right? It's more of a transition chapter to get us through to the birth which will be coming up soon. I appreciate all of the reviews I have gotten on this lately! I will try to do better about updating but sometimes it gets hard with four stories out! (I know, I know, it's my own fault! LOL) Anyways, it's not much, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)**

**...**

It had been six long months since her daddy had passed. By Carol's estimations, she was going on eight months pregnant. She felt every bit of it too. All she seemed to do anymore was eat and she never seemed full. Even with all the eating, her belly was still the biggest part of her. She luckily hadn't had any problems so far besides some slight swelling of the ankles when she would be on her feet for too long. Daryl seemed to be adjusting more and more to the idea of a baby lately. Now that she was clearly looking pregnant, it wasn't easy to forget.

The group was slowly learning to adjust to life without Hershel. It had been a hard road, especially for her and Maggie, but they were managing. Maggie was becoming more and more excited as the time passed for the arrival of the baby. With Daryl's help, they were able to clear out a cell next to theirs for a crib and other things for the baby. Eventually, it started to almost look like a real nursery, as much as it could being in a jail cell. On one of the runs, Glenn had found a bassinet and they had it set up in their cell next to the bunks to make it easier to get to the baby at night.

They even had a delivery room set up. It wasn't anything fancy, but it had a single bed and it was stocked with clean towels and blankets. There were various other instruments in there as well, but to Beth they looked more like instruments of torture than anything else. Carol had laughed at that and told her they were just things to aid the delivery, nothing more.

Carol had been studying every book she could get her hands on for some time now. She still wasn't as smart as a doctor by any means, but she was learning a great deal. Beth spent a lot of time talking, going over books with her, and trying to prepare for the baby. All in all, they were about as prepared as one could get in an apocalypse. All they had to do now was wait.

...

Beth trailed a hand down the side of the crib that was decked out with pale yellow sheets and comforters with little monkeys on them. Maggie had come across them on a run and thought that they would be perfect since it could go for either a girl or a boy. Beth absentmindedly rubbed a hand over her belly as she so often did lately and thought about the first time Daryl had felt the baby move.

She had been sitting in the bed reading a book when she felt the kick. At first, she thought it was simply gas, but then the baby had kicked her harder and she had gasped in delight. Daryl had just been entering the cell and he had given her a questioning look at her expression.

"Come here quick!" Beth had exclaimed.

Daryl had strode over to her and she had grabbed his hand to place it upon her belly. Nothing happened and she had been disappointed. Then just before Daryl had went to pull his hand away, he had felt it. Just a small kick but powerful enough to be felt from the outside. His eyes had widened as if he had seen something unbelieveable. He had then placed both of his hands on her belly and the baby had kicked him again and again. Beth had smiled at him and placed her hands across his. She had thought he would be a little freaked out by the whole thing, but he had seemed more amazed than anything.

She smiled now as she relived that memory. "Hey. Been lookin' all over for ya." Daryl said from the doorway.

She looked up at him. "I've been here."

He chuckled and walked into the room to place his hands on her belly like he did every day. "Yeah, I see that. Thought ya would be outside with the others, enjoyin' tha cool air." He remarked.

She shook her head. "I was waiting on you. How was your hunt?"

He shrugged. "Got a couple rabbits and a fox."

She felt slightly squeamish at the mention of the game he had caught, but she suppressed it down. "That's good." She said.

His hands carressed her belly. "Missed you two." He whispered huskily.

She circled her arms around his neck. "We missed you too. Especially me." She giggled.

He lowered his lips to hers and gave her a light kiss. She clung to him eagerly as if she couldn't get enough. She could feel the baby moving around inside of her and she knew that Daryl could feel it too. It was such a bizarre yet wonderful feeling.

Daryl straightened and then seemed to remember something. He held up a finger and disappeared into the other room for a few moments before returning with his hands behind his back. She watched him curiously.

"Found somethin' for ya on tha way back today." He said.

"What is it?" Beth asked.

"Close yer eyes." He said. She promptly obeyed and he grabbed her hand to place something large and round into it. "Alright." She opened her eyes and stared at her hand. There was a nice plump peach sitting in it and it was the best thing she had seen in a while. "Go ahead. I already cleaned it off." He insisted.

She smiled excitedly and bit down into the peach eagerly. She was rewarded with a juice filled bite and she tried not to laugh as the juices ran down her chin. Daryl swiped some with his finger and licked it off.

"This is _so _good!" Beth moaned.

Daryl chuckled. "Found a little tree that was holdin' on to tha one. Think they some grape vines out there too. Gotta get a couple of tha boys ta go out there an' help me see 'bout cartin' 'em back here for next year."

"I can't believe you found one this late in the year!" Beth exclaimed.

"Me neither. I passed by an' it was jus' sittin' there though, dancin' in tha sunlight." Daryl said.

"Maybe it's a sign!" Beth said.

Daryl snorted. "Yeah maybe."

She pushed him playfully as he made fun of her. She really and truly thought that the little peach _was_ a sign though. She looked down at her belly lovingly. Maybe it was a sign that things were going to be okay. Winter would soon be upon them and the baby would be here at any time. They could use all the good luck they could get.


	18. Chapter 18

****AN: Well here it is everyone! We're down to the last few chapters! I hope everyone has enjoyed this story as much as I have. I don't quite know how many chapters it will take me to finish, but I'm guessing 2-3 depending on the length. I just feel like it's time to end the story here, but don't worry you know I'll probably have another going soon! (Like I don't have enough to do already! LOL) Anyways, you guys are awesome for sticking with me and reviewing and I hope I can do these last few chapters justice! Thanks for all the kind reviews! Enjoy! :)**

**...**

Beth woke up one morning a few days later feeling pretty good. Even though her belly was sticking so far out she couldn't see her feet, she was in good spirits. Daryl had already left out earlier that morning to help Rick and Glenn attend to some matters outside around the fence. Everyone was keeping pretty busy lately getting ready for winter. They had a ready stash of blankets and their food supply was about as good as it was going to get for now. The prison was chilly and the old concrete walls did nothing to keep it from being drafty.

She stood up and slipped on a sweater over her other shirt. It was kind of funny being so big, and she was still getting used to it. Carol and Maggie always hung somewhere close by these days just in case. No one wanted to be far if she decided to go into labor early. She was a little nervous about labor. They didn't have any drugs stronger than an aspirin, and she really hoped she could bear through it without passing out. Carol assured her that a woman's body was built for labor, and that people still had babies the natural way even before the apocalypse. She had come to rely on Carol a lot, since Carol still remembered most everything about giving birth to Sophia.

She padded out of the cell and stopped a moment to glance into the nursery as she did every morning. Sometimes she would catch Daryl in there by himself and she would watch him as he stared at the baby items they had lying around or ran his fingers over the wood of the crib. He hadn't known what a lot of the baby items were and she had tried not to chuckle at his expression when she had explained what the bulb with the long tip on it was. He had looked disgusted at sticking something like that in a baby's nose to suck out all of the snot.

She entered the cafeteria to find Maggie cleaning up the breakfast dishes. "Hey sleepyhead." Maggie grinned.

Beth smiled and stifled a yawn. "Sorry."

"How are you feeling?" Maggie asked as she placed a hand on Beth's belly.

"I'm feeling pretty good actually. I'm starving," She sniffed. "I smell oatmeal and syrup."

Maggie laughed. "You can smell everything since you've gotten pregnant. I've got you a bowl set to the side." She moved to warm it up a little.

Beth sat down with a plop at one of the tables. Her belly prevented her from scooting all the way up to the table. "Where's Carol?" She asked Maggie.

"She took Judith outside for some fresh air for a bit. She didn't want her to be cooped up in here for too long at a time." Maggie stirred the oatmeal a few times and then poured it into a bowl for Beth. Beth grabbed the syrup and poured a decent amount into the bowl. She could feel Maggie watching her as she dug in heartily.

"You _do_ have an appetite today." Maggie observed.

Beth laughed. "It's like I can't get enough sometimes."

...

Daryl did one last round with Rick and Glenn to make sure the fences were secure in case they got bad winter storms. In times like these, you could never be too careful. Now that he would soon have a family, he wasn't taking any chances with their safety. The way Beth was walking around, it looked like she could pop any day and Daryl felt like he was on edge just waiting for it to happen.

The closer it got, the more nervous he got. The more nervous he got, the more he tried to find something to do outdoors, for fear that as soon as the baby was born, he might not get to come out for a while. He didn't know much about how babies worked, but he did know they required a lot of your time. He knew he was going to be spending more time with his kid than Rick had with Judith though. Rick was getting better, but he had missed out on a lot already. Daryl kind of felt sorry for him in a way.

"Thinking about the baby?" Glenn asked him as they all headed back up the hill towards the prison.

Daryl nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

Rick and Glenn both nodded. "But it's to be expected. I was on pins and needles around the time of Carl's birth. I was so nervous about it that I almost missed it. Lori sent me out for a few things from the store and I forgot my cell phone at home. It was stupid of me and she yelled at me for a long time about that, but I made it. A neighbor had to take her to the hospital though. I had never driven so fast in my life trying to get to that hospital. Carl came like a freight train." Rick said.

Daryl thought about that. "So it happens pretty fast then?"

Rick laughed. "Sometimes. If you're lucky."

"What ya mean by that?" Daryl frowned.

"I mean it's different for every woman. Some take hours or a whole day to labor, while others can be done in a couple of hours."

"I hope this kid comes fast then. I ain't gonna be okay waitin' all damn day." Daryl grumbled.

Rick clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll all be there to help you. We'll get through this."

"I am not going to be in that room and none of you can make me. Beth is like a sister to me. I don't want to see her goods." Glenn shuddered.

Daryl shot him a look. "Ain't none a y'all gonna see her _goods_ 'cept me an' Carol." Rick laughed as they walked up to the courtyard.

...

Beth followed Maggie outside after eating and began strolling around the courtyard. She couldn't seem to sit still for very long at the time. Everyone else was mainly outside, so she figured she would go enjoy the fresh cool air while she could. She saw Daryl, Glenn, and Rick making their way back up and Daryl immediately scanned the yard until his eyes landed on her. He smiled at her and she stepped forward to wave when her insides suddenly clenched together and she doubled over in pain.

She vaguely heard Daryl shout something to Carol as he ran over by her side. Her head was swimming and she was breathing heavily through the pain. Daryl's strong arms grabbed her underneath the arms and lifted her onto the nearby picnic table to sit. Carol's face popped in front of her.

"Beth honey, where is the pain?" Carol asked.

Beth let out a breath and pointed to her lower abdomen as the pain began to subside. She vaguely realized she was clenching Daryl's hand tightly. "It's easing off now." She whispered.

"But it's too early for the baby right?" Maggie asked from somewhere close to her.

Beth looked up to see Carol shake her head. "Not necessarily. It's a bit riskier, but she's at around the thirty-fourth week if I'm calculating right. I could be off a little though considering this is my first time aiding a delivery."

"It could be false labor though, right?" Beth asked. She was trying to remember everything she had read in the books.

Carol nodded. "Could be. Let's go get you laying down and see if it subsides."

Beth stood up and immediately Daryl's strong arms wrapped around her legs to lift her up into his arms. "Daryl, I'm okay now." She protested.

"Ain't takin' no chances so jus' quit yer yappin'." He replied.

She sighed and snuggled into his arms. He carried her inside while Maggie and Carol followed close behind. He laid her down on the bed after taking off her shoes and covered her with a blanket. She could tell by his expression that he was worried, but he was trying hard to hide it. She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"It's going to be okay Daryl." She said softly. He nodded but didn't look at her.

"What happens now?" He asked Carol.

"We wait and see if it happens again. If it happens again, it may be real labor, but if it subsides, then it could be false labor." Carol replied.

"Why can't things jus' be easy like one and one equals two?" Daryl grumbled.

"Now that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" Maggie teased lightly.

Beth tried to smile at them, but inside she was nervous too. She didn't know what it might mean to have her baby come this early. She had read a lot of the same books Carol had about babies. If she _was_ thirty-four weeks, the baby might have complications. She didn't even want to think about what that would entail. She lay there a few more minutes, and was relieved when nothing happened. She noted the relief on Carol's face as well and she and Maggie left her shortly after to give her some time with Daryl.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

He sighed. "No, I'm not. I don't know what tha hell I'm doin'. What if this baby comes early and somethin' happens to it?"

Beth swallowed a lump in her throat. "You have to stay positive. This baby is a Dixon. Dixon's are strong." He tried to smile at her, but he didn't quite make it. "Have you thought of any names you like?" She asked.

He glanced at the floor and then back at her. "Ain't no good at names. One did come ta me tha other day though." He said.

She smiled softly. "Let's hear it." When he said it to her, she turned the name over and over in her mind. "I like it."

He smiled a genuine smile this time and her heart melted.

...

It happened again later that night. She had been sleeping comfortably next to Daryl when the pain began again. This time it was more severe than the last and it brought her straight up in the bed. She clutched at her belly as Daryl rubbed the sleep from his eyes groggily. When he saw her holding herself, he instantly became more alert.

"Do I need ta get Carol?" He asked nervously.

She couldn't do anything more than nod and he disappeared out of the cell quickly. In a matter of minutes, he was coming back with Carol hurrying behind him. She dropped down onto the bed.

"Beth?" She asked softly.

"It hurts. Worse this time." She gasped out.

"How long?" Carol asked.

"About two minutes." She sighed as the pain eased off a bit, much as it had done earlier. Carol wiped at the thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Daryl paced the tiny cell next to them.

"Daryl, can you go get me a cool cloth for her forehead?" Carol asked.

"Yeah." He disappeared out of the cell and Carol looked back at her.

"Let me know if it starts up again." She said.

Beth nodded. "Trust me, you'll know."

Daryl reappeared a few minutes later with the cloth. Carol folded it and placed it upon her forehead. The cloth felt cool against her skin and she sighed. She wasn't even tired anymore. She wasn't sure how long had passed but it started up again. She moaned and clutched at the sheets. She could feel Carol moving around beside her, but she had her eyes closed.

"Breathe like I showed you Beth." Carol said soothingly. Beth began to breathe as she and Carol had practiced before. It helped some, but the pain was still intense. She could vaguely hear Carol in the background.

"It's time." Carol said.


	19. Chapter 19

_It's time?_

Daryl heard Carol say the words but they didn't quite sink in. All he saw was Beth's face twisted in pain as she panted and moaned. Carol turned around again and shook him slightly with her hands.

"Daryl! I need you to snap out of it! Go wake up Maggie and Michonne. I may need extra female hands. Hurry back because I have to move her." Carol commanded.

Daryl focused on Carol's face and tried to comprehend everything that was going on. He finally forced his legs to cooperate and he ran out of the cell and into Maggie and Glenn's cell where Maggie was already slipping her shoes on. She glanced up as he burst inside.

"I heard Beth. It's time isn't it?" She asked. Daryl only nodded and Maggie paused to squeeze his shoulder. "You alright?"

Daryl shook his head. He didn't know how people did this. Now that it was here, he was absolutely terrified. "I gotta wake up Michonne." He mumbled.

Maggie gave him a sympathetic look. "She'll be fine. I'll get Michonne. Go check on Carol and make sure everything's okay."

Daryl turned and somehow made it back into the cell with Carol and Beth who was clenching Carol's hand like it was a lifeline. He stood there, feeling utterly useless until Carol noticed him come back in. He saw Beth's face relax and her grip seemed to loosen on Carol's hand.

"What's happening?" Daryl croaked. That was what was even more terrifying. He had no idea what was going on and he felt like he was watching some kind of horror movie playing right in front of him.

"She's just resting between contractions. She's fine. I need you to help me get her moved." Carol pulled back the covers to help Beth sit on the side of the bed. He noticed that Beth was clutching the bear again. He crossed over and scooped her up in his arms again. She cradled her head against his chest and pressed her lips softly to his neck.

"I love you. Please don't leave me." She whispered.

Daryl felt his heart thump painfully in his chest. "Don't leave _me_." He muttered. He felt her small smile against his neck.

He carried her into the room that they had set up for the delivery which was away from the other cells so that she would have a little privacy. Daryl vaguely noticed that everyone was stirring and some had come to their cell doors to figure out what was going on. He laid her down on the cot that Carol had stripped with just a fitted sheet and a regular sheet.

"Help me with her pants Daryl." Carol said. She helped Beth lift her hips and then Daryl hooked his fingers in the waist to pull them down. "Panties too."

Daryl sighed and then reached under again to do the same with her panties. It was a bit awkward to see her laying like that with others around and he instinctively wanted to cover the doorway. Maggie had come in with a cool washcloth and was wiping Beth's forehead and speaking soothingly to her. Michonne was standing off to the side, looking as if she was barely alert. Daryl assumed that she must be there as a go between of sorts much like himself.

He stepped back towards the doorway as another contraction hit Beth and Carol and Maggie both grabbed a hand to help Beth through it. It seemed to pass rather quickly this time and he saw Beth lay her head back down with a sigh.

"Michonne or Daryl, can one of you come hold her hand here? I need to check on the baby and see if I see anything." Carol said.

Michonne looked at Daryl and he quickly shook his head. He gestured for her to go and she crossed over to sit by Beth's head. He didn't think he could do that just yet. He suddenly felt like he wasn't ready. He was panicked and he wasn't quite sure why. Everything was happening too fast for him to process. He needed time. He needed air. He stepped outside and almost ran into Rick who was waiting near the doorway.

Rick gave him a concerned look. "Hey you alright? You don't look so good Daryl." Rick placed a hand on his shoulder but Daryl shook it off and turned to exit the building without a word.

...

Beth cried out as another contraction hit her. She squeezed Maggie and Michonne's hand as hard as she could. Neither of them flinched and she was grateful. She was in lots of pain. As the contraction began to fade a little, she glanced around for Daryl.

Michonne saw her looking. "He had to get some air. He'll be fine." She said softly. Beth nodded but inside she was worried. _Had he decided that it was all too much and left her? _She didn't think she could handle that.

Carol lifted the sheet until it just barely covered her bottom half to save her modesty a little. She saw Carol's head disappear and briefly felt fingers prodding her down below.

"Alright Beth. I'm going to stick my fingers inside like we talked about before. I've got to feel for this baby. Okay?" Carol called.

"Y..yes." Beth panted. She felt the fingers slip inside and she cringed at the intrusion. She just wanted relief. She wanted pain medicine. She wanted this baby out... _now_.

"You're dilated pretty good. I'm assuming it won't be long now. The baby's head is turned this way so that's good. Everything seems to be as good as can be expected." Carol patted Beth's legs reassuringly. "When you get the urge to push, don't fight it. Let your body do what it feels is natural. Remember, your body knows what to do, all you have to do is help it along." Carol reassured her.

Beth nodded as a wave of nausea coursed through her. "Gonna throw up." She muttered. Michonne stood up and grabbed a bucket that held something that she quickly poured onto the ground. Fast as lightening, she stuck it under Beth's head and she puked up everything she had eaten earlier until she had no more left. She felt Maggie wiping her mouth and Michonne went to take care of disposing of the puke. Carol rearranged some things on a nearby table and then came to sit beside Beth.

Beth closed her eyes and tried to think about other things. She tried to think about Daryl and how much she had come to love him. She thought about the name that Daryl had picked and how much she liked it. She wondered if the baby would be a boy or girl and if it would look like her or Merle.

"Take these Ibuprofen. It's eight hundred milligrams. It's not much, but it might dull the pain a little." Carol instructed as she and Maggie helped her lean up onto her elbows. Beth obediently swallowed the medicine, praying for some relief, not matter how slight. She lay back on the pillow and her thoughts drifted to Daryl once more.

...

Daryl lit the cigarette with shaky hands that he couldn't quite get under control. He was about to be a father and here he was, hiding outside like some kind of pussy. He couldn't make himself go back in yet though. Not until he was sure he had his shit together. Seeing Beth like that made him sick to his stomach. He wanted to help her, to ease her pain, but he couldn't. It made him feel all kinds of worthless.

"Hey man, you okay?" Tyreese asked from behind him.

Daryl turned and then sighed. "No. I'm fuckin' freakin' out."

Tyreese only nodded. "I can imagine. It's a big thing having a baby."

"Yeah? You had many?" Daryl asked sarcastically.

Tyreese only laughed. "No. I personally haven't but I witnessed my cousin giving birth once. Her husband ran late so I got to sit in. It was the most emotional thing I have ever experienced in my life. So yeah, I can kind of understand what you're going through."

Daryl only nodded and took another draw off his cigarettte. "I feel like I need ta be doin' somethin' ya know? I jus' can't stand ta see 'er like that." He leaned against the brick wall.

"I'm sure she's going through some things too. The most you can do for her right now is to be there with her and let her know you're there for her. That's all you can do." Tyreese stated.

Daryl thought about that. He knew Tyreese was right. He needed to go in there. He had to witness this birth not only for Beth but for Merle who couldn't be here himself to witness it. He took one last draw off his cigarette and put it out.

"Alright. Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He drawled and Tyreese followed him back inside.

...

This time when Daryl went into the room it was slightly more calm. Beth looked exhausted and Carol had completely removed the sheet that had been covering her. Carol's head was so far in between Beth's legs that Daryl had to pause momentarily and get his bearings before slipping further into the room. Michonne saw him enter and relinquished Beth's hand to him. He sat down and she immediately gave him a small smile as she gripped his hand.

"You came." She gasped between breaths.

"Wouldn't miss it." Daryl replied. She smiled slightly and turned her focus back to Carol's head.

"Alright Beth, the head's a little farther! I need you to push for me dear! Michonne switch with Maggie. I need her to be ready for the baby when I bring it out like we discussed." Carol called out orders left and right.

Daryl's head was spinning but he was hanging in there. Beth had a death grip on his hand and he wished he could take her pain away but he didn't know how. The room was a sudden flurry of activity as Beth panted and clenched her teeth together.

"Come on honey. Give me a good push. I can see the head. I know you're tired, but we're almost there." Carol called out.

"You can see a head?" Daryl asked in amazement.

Carol beckoned him. "Come here and see this! It's amazing!" She called excitedly.

He didn't know what possessed him to go and look, he really didn't. He walked over next to Carol and she slid over slightly. Next thing he knew the ground was rushing up to meet him.

Daryl Dixon, hunter and badass zombie killer, had passed out.

****AN: Yes, yes I did a cliffhanger LOL. I promise if I don't update later this evening, I will update tomorrow. I hope you all like the chapter and the insight into the birth. I haven't witnessed any births other than my daughter's or what we see on movies so I hope it's realistic enough for you so far! Let me know how I'm doing! I could really use the support as we near the end. Only a couple of chapters left now! What would you all like me to cover in the prologue? Do you want me to fast forward and write a little something about all the characters? Let me know, I can make it happen! LOL, Thanks for reading! Look forward to hearing from you all! **


	20. Chapter 20

****AN: Final chapter before the prologue. Enjoy! More notes to follow...**

**...**

Daryl came to as the splash of water hit his face. He opened his eyes to see Maggie standing over him with a small pitcher of water. She had it tipped dangerously to the side and he quickly rolled to prevent further splashing.

"I'm alright!" He cried. "Damn." He looked around frantically to see what he missed, but he must have only been out for a minute because everyone appeared to be pretty much in the same position that he had left them in.

Beth was grunting and biting onto a rag that Michonne must have placed between her teeth. Her forehead was covered in sweat and she was very pale. He steered clear of the area next to Carol and stayed down where Beth's head was instead. He understood the saying, "curiosity killed the cat" a lot better now. Apparently Maggie didn't have any problems at all with looking at that area though, because her head was almost as far into the thick of things as Carol's was.

Daryl winced slightly as Beth reached out and grabbed his hand so tightly that he thought she might crush his hand. He overlooked the pain and sucked it up; now was no time to be a coward. He had already passed out once, that alone was going to earn him some teasing from the others. How would it look if he got his hand crushed by a woman? Although labor must give women an extra burst of strength because he never remembered Beth being this strong.

"I see the head!" Maggie exclaimed. She flashed a smile over Beth's knees.

"A couple more good pushe sshould do it Beth! Almost there!" Carol called out.

Beth gritted her teeth and sqeezed his hand again. He glanced over at Michonne and saw her briefly flinch and he felt a little better. At least he wasn't the only one. A few minutes later Carol popped her head up.

"It's a boy!" She exclaimed and then she was gone back below again. Beth laid her head back onto the pillow in exhaustion and Michonne took out the cloth to wipe her forehead with it. Beth turned her head and smiled at Daryl. He could hardly believe it. A little boy. He suddenly realized that he hadn't heard any cries and he strained his ears to listen again. _Weren't babies supposed to be born crying?_ He could see that Beth must be thinking the same thing because her expression suddenly looked worried.

"What's going on Carol? Is he okay?" Beth called out weakly.

Daryl saw a flurry of movement down at Beth's feet and seconds later he heard a soft wail. It started out softly at first and then got louder and louder. Daryl sighed his relief. "He's good! Just had to clear his airways a little!" Carol yelled. Maggie walked over and grabbed some scissors off of the table and Daryl's eyes widened.

"Whatcha gon' do with those?" He asked with a horrified expression.

Maggie gave him a smile. "It's okay. We're just cutting the umbilical cord."

Daryl nodded even though he had no clue what that meant. He assumed that Carol had done her research though so he didn't question it much. She had brought them this far and Beth and the baby were both alive so he was grateful for that. Maggie swaddled the baby and handed him over to Daryl so that she could go back and finish helping Carol.

Daryl stood there with the tiny little boy in his arms and he was speechless. His first thought was that babies weren't nearly as cute as they were when they were born on TV. The second was that he had the most startling blue eyes he had ever seen. There was also a slight covering of black hair and Daryl lightly ran his hand across it. The baby had calmed down now and was staring back at Daryl intently. He smiled and bounced it around lightly. He looked over to Beth.

"Want ta hold yer son?" He asked.

"_Our _son. And yes." She replied with a tired smile.

He gently placed the baby onto her chest and she gazed at him adoringly. Daryl felt a swell of pride inside of him at the sight of a healthy baby boy. The baby was quiet now, and seemed to be taking it all in.

"You need to feed him." Michonne spoke from the other side of Beth. "Want me to help lower your shirt?"

Beth glanced over and nodded. "Wait. I'll do it." Daryl said.

Michonne looked at him and nodded softly. "He's beautiful. Congratulations." She stepped away to give them some time to themselves.

Daryl lifted the baby and Beth repositioned her shirt so that her breast was hanging out. Daryl helped her situate the baby and to his surprise, the baby immediately began to suckle her breast. He watched in fascination. He had never seen anyone breastfeed before. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned, startled.

Carol smiled at him and Beth. "He's so beautiful." Carol whispered. She had tears in her eyes.

Daryl realized that while they had been busy admiring the baby, Carol and Maggie had apparently finished all they needed to do and Beth was once again covered on the cot.

Carl poked his head in. "Well? What is it? Maggie won't say." Carl asked.

"Hey, cover yer eyes boy!" Daryl grumbled as he pulled the sheet up some to cover Beth's breast. "It's a boy." He said.

Carl rolled his eyes and then whooped and turned to the others who had apparently been standing not far off. "I guessed right! Boy!"

Beth finished feeding him and the others slowly filed inside until the cell had become quite crowded with people. They passed the baby around slowly, each of them taking turns to coo and cuddle the precious newborn.

"Well, we're dying to know. Do you two have a name picked out?" Rick asked.

Daryl glanced over at Beth. She squeezed his hand and smiled. "Mason Tucker Dixon." She said. A hush fell over the group as they all processed the name in their heads. There were collective murmurs of agreement and smiles. "Daryl chose it."

Rick raised a brow and glanced at Daryl. "Ain't nothin'. Jus' came ta me is all. Thought it might be fittin' ta use Merle's initials ta kinda honor him." He shrugged.

Carol sniffed next to him and he realized that she was openly weeping. She blew her nose and then looked over at them. "That is so sweet. I'm sorry. I cry when I'm happy." Everyone laughed and Daryl leaned down to press a swift kiss to Beth's forehead.

He felt good in that moment. He felt like this might be a sign. Judith had made it so far and now there was Mason. If nothing else, then Judith would always have a companion in life. He couldn't believe how far they had come. Merle was gone, but he would always live on in Mason. He and Beth were surrounded by people that they cared about, and that cared about them. It might be the middle of an apocalypse, Daryl Dixon was the happiest he had ever been.

****AN: So I hope it wasn't too cheesy! I'm going to try and get the prologue out tonight as well. I haven't figured how far ahead I will give you a glimpse of, so it may take me a bit. This one kind of poured out of me...I figured it best to have this one from Daryl's POV since he was in the best position to observe what was going on. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again! :)**


	21. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_**...**_

Winter came and went at the prison and life went on accordingly with their new little life. Spring came and went, followed quickly by a long summer and then finally winter again.

Beth had really embraced her role as mother to Mason who some of the members had taken to calling "Mace" for short. All were fond of the little boy who seemed to find mischief wherever he went. One glance into his big blue eyes and whoever was trying to chastise him would usually melt instead.

Beth had never been happier. The birth, even though it was the most painful thing she had experienced, had went smoothly. She couldn't have asked for better. Every day that she spent with her little family was cherished. Some days she caught glimpses of Merle, and she would grow somewhat sad and then Mason would do something that was just like Daryl that she would laugh.

His first word had been "da-da", followed by "bear", and finally "mommy". Mason carried the little bear that Daryl had brought her while she was pregnant everywhere. It was like his safety blanket and he couldn't leave the room without it. Daryl had grimaced at the little boy dragging around a bear. He had tried to hand him a toy gun or soldier instead, but Mason refused to give up his bear. Eventually Daryl quit trying and had just accepted that the boy loved the bear.

Most of the days, Mason trailed after Daryl and in the evenings, they spent a lot of time playing together in their cell or wherever Mason decided he wanted to go. They were learning a lot about parenting as they went, and Beth thought that they had come a long way from the fumbling parents that they had been when Mason had first come into the world. She wouldn't trade the experiences for anything though. She found comfort and peace in her little family and she had never been happier.

...

Rick had embraced his fatherly role more openly after Mason was born and he spent more and more time with Carl and Judith. He had relinquished some of his leadership duties between Glenn and Daryl so that he was free to spend more time with his kids.

Carl was slowly coming around to the boy they had all once known at the farm. He had done a lot of growing up, but he was coming back from the darkness that had once threatened to consume him. He was following in his father's footsteps and taking on more responsibilities everyday.

Judith was walking around and chattering up a storm with anyone that would listen. Of course, sometimes you couldn't quite understand everything she had to say, so you had to improvise a lot. She had taken an instant liking to Mason and they played well together.

...

Glenn and Maggie had finally had their little wedding earlier that year in the spring. Rick had stood in as the Officiate and the rest of the group had witnessed the ceremony. They had celebrated with wine and dancing. It had been a great evening, and they was now expecting their first child. Carol was excited and gearing up for another delivery.

Carol spent a lot of time playing with the kids when the others had runs or other things to attend to. She would sit in there for hours, teaching them things and playing make believe. She seemed to have a real knack for it and she enjoyed it.

An unexpected romance had occured within the prison walls as well. Tyreese and Michonne had been caught sneaking in and out of the guard tower on several occasions. They had finally come out and said they were in a relationship even though most of the group had already known it by then. It was an odd sort of relationship, but it seemed to work for them and nobody questioned it.

...

All in all, things seemed to be progressing quite well for the group. There had been several occasions where they had spotted evidence of other survivors while out on their runs, but so far they had yet to meet any of them face to face. No one was complaining, they figured the less the better at this point. No one wanted the extra risk of added members; they were content with their group as it was. It didn't matter their color or ethnicity, they were a _family _in every sense of the word.

Daryl walked the halls of the prison with Mason tottering along behind him. Everywhere that Daryl went, Mason had to go as well. If Daryl ate it, so did Mason. Daryl had himself a new shadow and he didn't mind it one bit. He spent some part of every day taking time to play and teach Mason something new. Mostly for him, that something usually took place outdoors. Mason had quickly taken to the outdoors and whined to go outside whenever he saw anyone in the group head out. Most of them tried to sneak out so that they didn't have to tell him no. Mason was very good at tugging at their heartstrings. Daryl knew he was following true to Dixon form and was going to be a heartbreaker. He had dark hair that was almost black and piercing blue eyes that grabbed anyone's attention.

Daryl couldn't have been more proud if Mason was his own son. In a lot of ways, he felt like he was. Oddly enough, he could see bits and pieces of himself in Mason. Often times, he would see Beth and on occasion, Merle. The first glimpse of Merle he had was Mason smiling up at him. It was the same way Merle had smiled. It made Daryl a little sad sometimes to think about all that his brother was missing out on, but Mason would grab his finger or hug him and everything was instantly right in the world.

It didn't make him sad as much anymore and now he just smiled himself and shook his head at the little boy in wonder. He finally figured out what love _really _meant because he never wanted to be away from his son, and he was very protective over his family. It had taken some getting used to for him, but he had finally adjusted and embraced his new life.

Maybe their was hope for their future after all...

****AN: Well that concludes our little story! It's bittersweet for me...I'm kind of sad now. I would like to once again thank those of you who have followed and reviewed this story with me! It's been an interesting ride, and you have all been great support! I would also like to take this time to give a little shout-out to some of you:**

**the rambling rose - For starters, I talk to you more than my husband most days so not much words are needed! I'm not sure how I would get through these chapters without you! (GREAT writer here! I totally recommend if any of you are looking to branch out to other fics!) :)**

**PunkRockerBabe95 & Fremione-lover16 - You two have faithfully reviewed every chapter of not only this fic, but I think every story I have written. I bow to you and truly appreciate your diligence and time to review every chapter! You are both awesome! :)**

**MonDieu666 - I've enjoyed all of our pm's and am patiently waiting for your next chapter to come out! You're a great writer and I thank you for following me on this journey.**

**Mexican-Canadian, gf0825, & zansbitch1 - Thank you for sticking with me and giving your input here and there! I truly appreciate it! A lot of you are familiar to me from my other fics! Thanks to you all! *hugs***

**To Guest Reviewers & Everyone Else - You're not any less important to me at all! I've just jotted down the names that I see frequently but any review, no matter how small, means a lot to me! Thanks for taking the time to make my day! **

**I've enjoyed you all and I hope to see you all lurking around on some of my other stories! Alright, enough of the sappy stuff! LOL! Have a great, great, night! :)**


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